Genesis
by Nautical Paramour
Summary: A series of drabbles to act as a sequel to Oblivion, based on the teased relationship from the epilogue. Exploring Hermione and Draco's relationship, where Voldemort is long dead, Lucius is in Azkaban, and they grow up as friends. Set in the Oblivion Universe. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: After I posted the Oblivion epilogue, so many people were interested in hearing more about the cheeky dramione that I slipped in, and...well, I caved. Okay - so this little drabble series will just be looking at different parts of the lives of Draco and Hermione _in the Oblivion universe_. If you haven't read it, you might want to go and read it, but if not, here are the pertinent details. Lucius is in Azkaban for life since before Draco was born and Narcissa has opened a summer school to educate muggleborn students prior to starting at Hogwarts. Enter Hermione. The Hermione who lived in Oblivion is still alive - there are two Hermiones in this universe. I am working on creating a family tree for this one, so I hope to have that sorted out soon.

You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions! HUGE thank you to Ava Safari for beta reading this chapter. Please let me know what you thought of chapter one and be on the lookout for chapter two soon!

* * *

 _1986_

Draco had been excited for this day. He'd been looking forward to it even more than when his Grandfather Cygnus had taken him to see Quidditch for the first time. His mother had been telling him about the new school that she was going to be opening for months and the day had finally come.

Grandfather Abraxas was not happy to hear about the school - which would teach muggleborns about how to be witches and wizards - but his mother told him that it was going to be a good thing, and Draco had believed her.

But now...he was questioning her judgement.

Being an only child, Draco was completely unused to sharing his mother's attention. And now his mother's attention was divided between him and eight needy muggleborns, each one of them louder than the next. It was enough to push him to the periphery, sullen, annoyed, and angry with how much _noise_ they all seemed to make. Didn't they know how to sit quietly and play with their toys?

Maybe Grandfather Abraxas had been right, and the muggleborns were more trouble than they were worth. How was he supposed to go to Hogwarts with these little _cretins_ for seven years, let alone get through the next six years of splitting his mother's attention with them. It was worse to see how much his mother was enjoying it.

Sitting at the side of the room with a knot in his throat, trying not to cry, Draco didn't even realize a girl had come to sit next to him until she spoke. "Hi, I'm Hermione," she said with a grin. "What's your name?"

"I'm Draco," he responded, pulling his knees closer to his chest. He looked up at the girl. Her hair was a bit wild, brown riotous curls that seemed almost bigger than her head. Her eyes were brown as well, and she was already missing one of her front two teeth.

"Oh, so _you're_ Ms. Narcissa's son," she said sounding surprised. "So you're already a wizard."

"You're already a witch, _too_ ," Draco insisted, remembering how his mum told him repeatedly that muggleborns were just as capable as any pureblood was, they just needed to learn how to control their magic, same as he had to. And, his mother added, it wasn't fair that they shouldn't start to learn until they were eleven. "You just have to learn, same as me."

"But I'm sure you can already do all _sorts_ of magic," Hermione said a bit breathlessly. "Is that why you are sitting over here by yourself?"

"I'm just...not used to having so many kids here," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "It's a lot...louder than I expected." It was just disappointing that it hadn't been as nice as he thought it would be.

"I know," she answered him, crossing her legs underneath her. "I'm an only child, but I'd hoped that everyone here would be nicer than the kids at my regular school. They all think I'm odd."

"Because you can do magic?" Draco asked, having always wondered what it would be like to grow up if your parents didn't know that you could do magic. _That_ would be hard. His mother had explained it to him when she'd first told him about her plan to start the school.

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "Maybe, but I think it's mostly because I like reading books," she said wrapping her arms around her legs, closing herself off.

Draco hoped that she wasn't afraid of him. It was nice to meet another person who seemed to have the same feelings about all the other children that he did. "I've got an Aunt called Hermione," he said, giving her a toothy grin. "She's a _brilliant_ witch. She can do all sorts of things, and she works for the Ministry of Magic."

"That's cool," Hermione said, returning his smile. "I've never met anyone else called Hermione before."

"Well, she's not _really_ my Aunt. She's my mom's cousin's wife," he explained. "But I call her my Aunt. She's my cousin Arcturus's mom and she's going to have another baby soon!"

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "Arcturus - _that's_ an unusual name," she said, thinking that it sounded rather odd. "Draco is, too, I suppose. Do all wizards have such different names?"

Draco laughed. "It's not an _unusual_ name," he explained with a grin. "It's just that, my mum's family looks to astronomy for names. Say, do you want to go look at some books in my room? I have one that has all of the constellations in it - I can show you Draco _and_ the one that had Arcturus in it."

"Sure," Hermione said, eager to leave the rest of the screaming children behind in the parlor. The pair made quick work of the manor's expansive halls. Draco was proud to show off his collection of books, and Hermione was suitably in awe of them.

Completely unaware of how much time had passed, they were laying on the floor, paging through an astronomy book when his mother finally found him. "So that's where you've run off to, children," she said, a fond smile on her face. "Mr. and Mrs. Granger are looking for their daughter, Draco."

"Mum!" Draco greeted her cheerfully. "This is Hermione - she has the same name as Aunt Hermione," he told her proudly, missing the calculating look in his mother's eyes.

"Pleased to meet you, Hermione," she answered. "However, it is unfortunately time to go. You two can play again soon."

Draco knew better than to whine to his mother, begging for just a few more minutes of playtime with Hermione, who was far more interesting than Harry or Alphard or Theo. The muggleborns would be back again soon and so he knew that he'd get to see Hermione again sooner rather than later. "Bye, Hermione," he said, already counting down the hours 'til he'd get to see her again. Hermione wrapped him in a tight hug before following his mother out of the room.

Muggleborns may be noisy and steal his mother's attention, but Draco decided that getting to spend time with Hermione was more than worth the trouble.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am so glad that you enjoyed the first drabble. Let me know if there are any particular events you would like covered! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Big thank you to Ava Safari for beta reading this chapter!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter two and be on the lookout for chapter three soon!

* * *

 _1988_

Draco still wasn't sure what to think of his mum's school for muggleborn children two years on. Many of them were still too different, too noisy, too _unmannered_ that he couldn't really get along with them.

Justin Finch-Fletchley was an annoying snob who looked down on everyone else and seemed to think that he and Draco were on par when they just _weren't_. Dean Thomas was alright, but he was completely obsessed with some muggle sport called _football_.

Hermione had told him not to trouble himself with football, but she always seemed annoyed when he would get caught up talking about Quidditch.

One time, Dean and some of the other boys had convinced him to try to play football and he eventually agreed. He got a little frustrated though, when he didn't understand most of the rules. Then he realized it _wasn't_ that different from Quidditch, but he felt bad for the poor muggles, not having the benefit of a broom.

The bright spot of the muggleborn school, of course, was Hermione's friendship. Draco hadn't expected to become such good friends with a _girl_ , but she seemed to understand him almost more than Harry or Alphard. She filled a part of his life that he didn't know had been painfully empty before her. It was nice to have someone to read with and explain the wizarding world too. Hermione always had questions to ask, and he was happy to answer.

Today, he was trying to get her to go on a ride on his broom, but she stubbornly refused.

His grandfather Abraxas had given him a broom for his eighth birthday, and had very patiently been teaching him. He knew that most other boys would be taught by their father, but his father was away because he'd done bad things, before Draco was even born. He was determined to be the _best_ flyer in his year _in spite_ of his lack of a father. Alphard might have Uncle Sirius and Harry might have his father James, but Draco was going to figure it out all on his own.

So, he was very irritated that Hermione couldn't just _trust_ him that he knew what he was doing.

"Come on, Hermione," Draco pleaded. "I promise I won't let you drop. I haven't fallen off in _weeks_."

Hermione put her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow at him. " _That_ doesn't sound nearly as promising as you imagine, Draco," she argued back.

Draco was annoyed that she wouldn't just give it a shot, just this once. He did loads of things that she wanted to. He was positive that if she just tried it, she'd really like it. But then, Draco got a _devious_ little idea to get Hermione on the back of his broom. "Fine," he sighed. "How about we play something else...dragons and wizards?"

She smiled at him immediately. "That seems more my speed," Hermione said proudly. "I imagine that it's something like cops and robbers? A tag game?"

"Something like that," Draco said with a smirk. "I'll be the dragon first - naturally."

"Naturally," Hermione agreed with a roll of her eyes.

"Alright, you start running first, and then I will chase you after I count to ten," Draco said, conveniently leaving out the part that he would be chasing her on a broom.

Hermione didn't even wait for him to begin counting before she was sprinting away. Draco quickly mounted his broom, pushing off from the ground so that he could fly after his friend. Hermione's wild hair was trailing after her like a banner in the wind, and Draco was able to narrow in on her immediately.

"Roar!" he called when he was right upon her, diving down low on the ground, before grabbing her arm and pulling her up, using the momentum of the broom to help lift her up.

"Draco!" Hermione screeched, when she realized that she was being lifted up into the air. She grabbed onto his midsection, pressing her face into his back, while she held onto him as tight as she could.

He was laughing at her reaction, flying in lazy circles above the Malfoy grounds. "Hermione, come on, just look around," he urged, wanting her to see how exhilarating it was to be up off the ground. "I promise that I won't let you fall. Just _trust_ me," he begged.

It took her a few seconds, and he could feel her trying to gather her courage to do it, her fingers tightening in the fabric of his shirt. Eventually her head lifted up from his back. He _felt_ her gasp of surprise as much as he heard it, and he was glad to note that it sounded delighted and not scared.

He flew them around for a while, glad to realize that Hermione was growing more comfortable. Eventually though, he brought them back down to the ground. "That was _amazing_ ," Hermione said with a grin. "But I'm still _furious_ at you for tricking me like that!"

"I didn't trick you," Draco said obstinately, leading Hermione back up to his house. "You agreed to play Dragons and Wizards with me."

"Yes, but you knew that I thought that it didn't involve brooms! You were being sneaky!" she accused.

"Hermione, _surely_ you are aware that dragons _fly_ , even if you are a muggleborn," Draco responded with a roll of his eyes, knowing that one of Hermione's weaknesses was not knowing something. She would agree, if only to suggest that she knew that all along. "Because if you didn't, we are going to need to do a lot more preparation for Care of Magical Creatures when we get to third year."

" _Of course_ I knew that," Hermione said, defensively. "I just didn't think that you meant it literally."

"But you had fun?" Draco questioned, knowing that having fun had been the whole point of getting Hermione on the broom in the first place.

"Yes," she agreed, begrudgingly.

"And you'll let me take you for another ride in the future?"

She waffled for a moment. "Yes, but only if you _ask_ me first," she tried to scold him, but a smile was already pulling at the corners of her lips.

"Deal," Draco agreed, proud that he had achieved his aims.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! We are nearly to Hogwarts now :) You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Huge thank you to Ava Safari for beta reading this chapter!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter three and be on the lookout for chapter four soon!

* * *

 _1991_

When it came time to finally go and pick out his wand, his mum had told him that it was something that they would do together. She knew that Draco could sometimes feel a little bit jealous about all the attention that she gave the muggleborns. Not only that, but she felt that it was good for the muggleborns to get comfortable in Diagon Alley without their parents.

But, Draco didn't have to think twice about asking his mum to invite Hermione along. He wanted his good friend to experience this moment with him, so excited for her to feel _real_ magic for the first time.

His mum graciously agreed before inviting Harry and Alphard to come along as well, to Draco's utter disappointment.

It wasn't as though he didn't like his two friends, but he was a bit worried about what they would make of Hermione. He knew that it was probably better to get it out of the way before Hogwarts, as all of his social circles were eventually going to come crashing in to one another.

They met the Potters and Uncle Sirius's family in Diagon Alley one Saturday morning, with Draco coaching Hermione on how to use the Floo. When he followed her through the fireplace to the Three Broomsticks, he saw that she was already chatting with his two friends.

Lily Potter was there, with her red hair shining in the sunlight, telling Hermione not to worry about anything. "I'm a muggleborn witch, too," she said, kindly. "I know that Narcissa has really given you a lot of assistance, but if you ever have any questions, I'd be happy to answer."

Hermione seemed relieved by the offer, and Draco felt upset that there was something that he wasn't able to help Hermione out with. He thought that he'd done a wonderful job of explaining everything to her so far, but he supposed there were _some_ things that Lily was probably better suited to going over.

As soon as he reached Hermione's side, her small hand shot out to grab his own. Although her face was poised and confident, Draco could tell by the way that she twined her fingers with his that Hermione was exceedingly nervous. "Ollivander's first?" he asked his two friends, seeing as they'd already been introduced to Hermione.

Harry and Alphard were eager to agree, and started off in the direction of the store. Draco and Hermione followed behind, hanging back a bit so that they could speak with one another privately. "Alphard is almost like my cousin," Draco explained quietly, eyeing the other boy's wavy black hair. "He is my mother's cousin's son."

"Sirius?" Hermione asked, causing the both of them look back at the rather famous Auror Black. The older man had his silvery grey eyes trained on their clasped hands.

Draco nodded. "Yeah. He's an auror. That's the wizard police," he said, though he was sure she remembered that from her lessons. "He helped take down You-Know-Who."

Hermione nodded solemnly. You-Know-Who had been a needed, but uncomfortable, lesson, one that Draco had wanted to skip. He was not blind to the fact that You-Know-Who was the reason that his father was in Azkaban, and he'd hoped that Hermione wouldn't think any differently of him because it. His mother had promised that Hermione wasn't like that, but he hadn't been sure until she'd found him after and wrapped him in a comforting hug.

"Harry and Alphard's parents are really close," Draco added. "So we hang out a lot. But we aren't related...I don't think."

"Your family trees are so confusing," Hermione said, scrunching her nose. "It seems hard to keep track of _everyone_ you are related to."

"I'm just well positioned," Draco said with a huff. His grandfather Abraxas always mentioned that it was good to have those kind of alliances, to get ahead in life.

Before they could talk anymore, they were at Ollivander's. Hermione stopped at the door, too nervous to go inside. "What if _none_ of the wands work for me?" she asked, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. "And I'm not a real witch and they won't let me into Hogwarts?"

Draco rolled his eyes at her. "You are a real witch, Hermione. You got your Hogwarts letter, didn't you?" he probed gently. Seeing her nod, her tried to assuage her fears. "We can _definitely_ find you a wand then. And Ollivander's is the best - he will definitely be able to find one for you."

She didn't seem convinced, but went into the shop, with her chin held high. Hermione even volunteered to go first, and Draco was amazed by her courage. In the end, her fears were unfounded, seeing as she produced a tremendous amount of magic on her first go. It took several tries, but eventually, Ollivander helped her find the _perfect_ wand. Vinewood with dragon heartstring.

"Wow! My Aunt Hermione has a vinewood wand, too," Alphard said, his grey eyes lighting up when he saw the wand that had selected Hermione. "Isn't that right, pops?" he asked, looking up at Sirius Black.

Sirius was looking at Hermione with a confused look on his face, before nodding. "Yes, she does have a wand just like that. It must be something about _Hermiones_ ," he said with a laugh, before excusing himself to go and speak with Narcissa.

"Did your Aunt Hermione get her wand from Ollivander as well?" Hermione asked Alphard brightly, curious about this mysterious other woman she had heard so much about, but hadn't had the opportunity to meet in person.

Alphard shook his curly head back and forth. "No, she was educated on the continent, so I'm sure she got her wand from another maker. Gregorovich, maybe?"

Draco could practically see the wheels turning in Hermione's head when she realized there was more than just one wandmaker. She was certainly going to want to research all of this.

There was no more discussion of wands or wayward Aunts, though. His mother swept over in her pale lavender robes. "Children, shall we go for some ice cream at Fortsecue's?" she asked, a serene smile on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you for your reviews, favorites and follows! We've finally made it to Hogwarts - I am very excited! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Huge thank you to Ava Safari for beta reading this chapter!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter four and be on the lookout for chapter five soon!

* * *

 _1991_

When he'd been standing on Platform 9 and 3/4, Draco was finally struck with nerves about heading to Hogwarts for the first time. He'd been dreaming of this moment basically as long as he could remember, when he'd finally go to school to learn about _proper magic_ , but now, he was having second thoughts.

It was his mother's expression that made him rethink how great it would be to move away from home. As usual, Narcissa Malfoy's face was a proud mask of poise and charm, but in her eyes Draco could sense an overwhelming sadness of sending her only child off to school. Suddenly, he felt terrible about leaving her all alone in Malfoy Manor for months out of the year. Of course, she'd have Grandfather Abaxas and Grandfather Cygnus, but it wasn't the _same_ as him. No one could replace him in his mother's eyes.

Draco had even wavered when it was time to board the Hogwarts Express, and literally the only thing getting him to go along was Hermione's tiny hand tugging at his, eager to get on the train and leave the muggle world behind. He promised his mum that he would see her at Christmas - something that had her smirking at him - before he disappeared into the scarlet steam engine.

The train ride had been mostly uneventful. He and Hermione sat with Harry and Alphard, and were joined not too long after by Theo Nott and Daphne Greengrass. Daphne eagerly took to Hermione, asking all sorts of intrusive questions about what it was like to be a muggle. She looked at Hermione as if she were some sort of potions experiment, but Draco knew that she wasn't trying to be rude.

The only real disruption had been when a red faced Weasley urchin and Neville Longbottom intruded into their compartment. Weasley expressed shock that Harry and Alphard would be sitting with such him and Theo, proclaiming that his mum had discouraged him from talking with dark wizards and witches. It just took a little bit of clever wand work on Alphard's part to send the pair squealing down the hallway.

Draco had laughed, but Hermione had just given him a scowl, not approving of breaking school rules.

Once they arrived at the castle, he quickly found himself separated from Hermione as they placed the first years in alphabetical order. Draco gave her a longing look, suddenly very worried about the sorting, but Hermione seemed okay - confident and excited. She happily continued to chatter away with Daphne.

Alphard was the first of their cohort to be sorted. Draco had to admit that he was more than a bit surprised when the Sorting Hat placed him in Slytherin. Alphard blanched, proclaiming that "my pops is gonna kill me," before he was welcomed by the Slytherin Head of House, Professor Vector.

Justin Finch-Fletchley, the first of the muggleborns in their year, went to Hufflepuff, which Draco could say was no great surprise. He watched as the rest of the students were sorted, ticking closer and closer to Granger, Hermione.

When her name was finally called, Hermione did look a bit nervous. The Sorting Hat sat on her head for so long that older students were calling for a hatstall, which only made Hermione blush. After much consideration, though, Draco was disappointed to hear her placed into Ravenclaw.

Daphne was sorted into Slytherin, Hopkins into Hufflepuff, Longbottom into Gryffindor, and before he knew it, it was Draco's turn to be sorted.

Once the old Sorting Hat was placed onto his head, Draco had begun begging it to put him in Ravenclaw, too. He couldn't imagine being separated from Hermione, who'd grown to be his _best_ _friend_ in these last five years. However, the Hat argued with him, telling him that he would do best in Slytherin. In the end, he couldn't convince the ratty old thing otherwise.

He trudged the whole way over to the Slytherin table, feeling his heart sink when he stared over at Hermione, who was happily chatting with another girl at the Ravenclaw table. He couldn't even find it in himself congratulate Theo when he joined the Slytherin table moments later, nor did he participate in the furious whispers after Harry Potter was placed into Slytherin as well. It seemed a coup for the green and silver to get both Black and Potter.

"This is going to be awesome," Alphard said to Harry. "Even if I ended up in Slytherin, at least I'll be in good company. Who do you think is going to be more pissed, my pops or yours?" he asked Harry.

"My grandma was a Slytherin," Harry said with a shrug of his shoulders, apparently not too bothered by it. He agreed that it would be great and they all began discussing how they were going to set up their dormitory, eagerly pulling Theo into the discussions as well.

Draco just sat there, listening quietly, his eyes still darting over to the Ravenclaw table. How could it be awesome when he and Hermione weren't even in the same house? Suddenly, he was struck with a worry he hadn't even considered. What if Hermione was only friends with him due to his proximity? Now that she had more people to talk to, what if she didn't want anything to do with him?

His thoughts were spiraling out of control as he grew more and more heartbroken that Hermione Granger had ended up a Ravenclaw.

Perhaps she sensed his eyes on her, because Hermione was suddenly making eye contact with him. She stilled when their eyes locked, before a _real_ smile grew on her face. Lifting her hand, she gave him a shy little wave. In that moment, Draco felt a sense of... _acceptance_ wash over him. He calmed down and realized that being in different houses wasn't going to erase several years of friendship. Proudly, he returned the wave, not caring if anyone saw.

And, he thought with a grin, at least she wasn't a Gryffindor.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! You can find me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Huge thank you to Ava Safari for beta reading this chapter!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter five and be on the lookout for chapter six soon!

* * *

 _1991_

Settling into Hogwarts had been easier than he expected. Even though his family name no longer carried the same prestige as it once did - honestly, Grandfather Abraxas made it sound as if a Malfoy could get away with anything - thanks to his father, Draco was still a popular boy. It helped that Alphard and Harry also came from well to-do families. Before long it felt like they were running the school.

Being in a different house from Hermione had certainly taken a lot of getting used to. In all of his future plans for Hogwarts, he'd always imagined Hermione being in Slytherin with him. Seeing her in the bronze and blue of Ravenclaw had been a strange sight at first, but even he could admit that the Ravenclaw ribbons looked especially pretty in her brown hair.

While they didn't have _all_ of their classes together, they did have a couple together - charms, defense against the dark arts, and history of magic. Draco always made sure to sit next to her in every class that he could, even though he knew that it garnered looks from their classmates and professors alike. Draco didn't care what they thought - after all, a Malfoy doesn't concern himself with what _commoners_ thought.

He also dragged himself away from Harry and Alphard several times a week to study with Hermione in the library. It was nice, really, to get away and spend some one-on-one time with his best friend. It was almost like being back at Malfoy Manor, sneaking off to his room hand in hand to read books together.

In turn, Draco made it his mission to pull Hermione out of the library to the outdoors, to mess around with the boys, and to watch them run drills for when they eventually played Quidditch.

"Come on, Hermione," he begged, wanting nothing more than to shut the book that she was reading, but knowing that it would only make her retreat to Ravenclaw tower. "You could practically _teach_ this unit better than Professor Binns at this point. You've studied enough, now let's get some fresh air outside!"

Hermione stared at him, rolling her quill in her fingers, considering her options. "Alright, but _just_ this once," she agreed, before beginning to pack up her bag. "Now, let's go before I change my mind."

Draco didn't have to be told twice and practically skipped out of the library with Hermione trailing at his heels. Everything was going fine, until they crossed paths with some Gryffindors in the entrance hall.

Weasley seemed to have it out for him specifically, though he frequently liked to disparage any Slytherin who came across his path. "You should be careful around this one, Granger," Weasley sneered, not wanting to give the impression that he might actually care about her. "Everyone knows Slytherins hate anyone who isn't a pureblood."

Hermione was never one to back away from a challenge jutted her chin out. "I highly doubt that, Weasley. I think I can make friends on my own," she answered proudly.

She was ready to walk away from the confrontation, but Weasley couldn't do with looking stupid in front of his friends. Immediately he elbowed Longbottom in the side. "No wonder she sticks up for him. He's her _only_ friend - couldn't get anyone else to talk to her," he said maliciously. "Even if he is probably just messing with her...no way a son of a Death Eater like Lucius Malfoy could really be friends with a _muggleborn_."

Draco immediately felt his cheeks burn red hot at the mere mention of his father's name. He was utterly embarrassed at the things that his father had done. His mother had told him time and time again that he was his own man and what his father had done had no bearing on the way he _chose_ to live his life, but that other people might hold it against him. It was his job to show other people that their impressions of him where wrong.

His hand fumbled for his wand, but he needn't have bothered at all.

In the blink of an eye, Hermione had whirled around, her hair wild and her jaw clenched. She had her wand pointed directly between Weasley's eyes and he looked like he was realizing that he'd made a terrible mistake.

"Why don't you keep your opinions to yourself, Weasley," she demanded. "Draco is my best friend and he has been for over five years. He certainly doesn't care if I'm a muggleborn. It seems to me like the only prejudiced one here is _you_."

Neither Neville Longbottom or Seamus Finnegan looked ready to back Weasley up, even against only one girl. Hermione might have been small but she was fierce and protective. "Ron, maybe you should just let it go," Longbottom said cautiously.

Weasley took a step back. Hermione let her wand drop a fraction, and the moment he thought he had an out, he ran away.

When Hermione and Draco were left alone, she was turning back to look at him, concern evident on her face. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "Who even cares what an idiot like _Weasley_ thinks," she said immediately. "He's just jealous of you because you are popular."

Draco gave a quick nod, wondering how he had gotten so lucky to have a witch like Hermione come to his aid. Then he remembered the horrible things that Weasley had said about her too. It simply wasn't true that Hermione had no other friend besides him. Harry in particular enjoyed Hermione's company, and she was becoming fast friends with Mandy Brocklehurst.

Wanting to give her some reassurance, too, he squeezed her hand back. "Hermione, you know you really _are_ my best friend, right?" he asked.

Seeing the small smile that formed on her face, he knew that she had needed the confirmation more than she let on. She nodded happily. "Sure, now let's go outside before Harry and Al send a search party to rescue you from the library."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am so glad that you are enjoying the story so far. We are progressing into second year now. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates, and answer questions. Huge thank you to Ava Safari for beta reading this chapter!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter six and be on the lookout for chapter seven soon!

* * *

 _1992_

The only thing that Draco had wanted to do the summer after completing his first year at Hogwarts was to practice Quidditch. He, Harry and Alphard had spent many nights up late talking about how they would all try out for the Slytherin squad the following autumn. His mum was happy to indulge him, getting him the latest broom model and letting him spend hours with Sirius and Regulus so that he could practice drills with his cousins.

For once, Grandfather Abraxas seemed quite pleased with his grandson's ambitions, if only because it meant that he spent less time with the _muggleborns_. His grandfather was growing older, and he seemed to forget some of the events of recent years, proudly regaling Draco with stories of his father's prowess on a broomstick.

If there was one thing that Draco was certain, it was that he would _never_ play keeper in a million years. He didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps.

He'd dreamed about playing seeker, often listening to Regulus tell stories about how great it felt to catch the snitch. He'd even weaseled out of some of the older man's training techniques through careful questioning.

Draco's dreams were dashed when they finally all got together to play and he saw Harry on a broomstick. Uncle Sirius had made a statement that Harry was a natural, with such a proud, wistful tone that it had Draco seeing green with envy. Alphard had previously decided that he wanted to play beater, just like his father had, too.

It seemed hopeless that he should ever find his spot on a Quidditch squad. He had no natural talent, just pure determination and will to win.

That was until his Grandfather Cygnus had finally ferreted out what it was that was bothering his young grandson. He watched Draco fly around on a broomstick with keen grey eyes for hours, before finally announcing that it was clear Draco had inherited _his_ skill as a chaser.

"You've got a sharp mind, too, lad," his grandfather said, tapping Draco on the temple. "You just might make captain if you're lucky. Study the plays and learn them front to back. Then do the same with your opponents' plays, too."

It was as if a whole new world had been opened up to him.

The only one who seemed put out with his new found obsession was Hermione. He was certain that she felt terribly left out, seeing as she didn't care for Quidditch, or even fancy flying on a broom much. He couldn't _stop_ talking about Quidditch, from the moment that they arrived on the Hogwarts Express to the morning the trials were set to take place.

"Please come to the trials, Hermione," Draco begged, knowing that he would feel better if he just had his best friend's support in this. "It won't even take that long, I promise."

"I don't know, Draco," she said, with a tight frown. "I've got a lot of homework to do tonight. It's just not really a good time for me."

"There is no other time, though," he whined. He wanted to show Hermione how much he'd improved over the summer, to prove that he was the best damn chaser that Hogwarts had ever seen. "They are only tonight. I promise that I will study with you in the library for an hour every night after dinner for two weeks if you come."

Hermione raised one eyebrow in disbelief, before smirking at him. "We'll see, Draco," she answered, before leaving him to stew on his own thoughts.

In the end, she did come, hiding in the Quidditch stands, but obvious from her bushy hair. She gave him a shy wave.

Draco felt bolstered knowing that she was there, and he turned to look at Marcus Flint, the massive captain who seemed scary barking orders at him. He focused on the task at hand, trying not to feel too nervous knowing that Hermione's eyes were on him while he was running through drills.

By the time that the tryouts were over, Flint announced that he was ready to name the first team squad. Draco was absolutely crushed to learn that he did not make the team, but neither had Alphard. In the end, it was only Harry Potter who had secured the spot of seeker, beating out Terence Higgs.

He knew that he was being irrationally jealous, but Draco felt so utterly embarrassed at being passed over while Harry had managed to snag the best spot on the squad. He almost didn't want to stay when Flint called him and Alphard over. "The pair of you looked great. I want you to practice with us on the reserve squad," he explained. "You'll probably make the first team next year if you work hard."

Alphard nodded, eager to be involved at all, before he ran off to congratulate Harry. Draco just wanted to get back to the Slytherin Common Room where he could pretend like the day never even happened.

Hermione cut him off while he was on the path back up to the castle. "You did great, Draco!" she told him, her cheeks flushed pink from the air and her eyes bright. "You just...I don't know, _look_ like you are meant to fly on a broom."

"Well, I didn't make the team," he said, feeling particularly surly in the moment. He explained that Flint wanted to him to train with them, though.

She didn't seem bothered by the fact at all. "That's such a great opportunity," she said, ever the optimist where he was concerned. "Just think about how much you'll be able to learn from the older guys. You'll be at such an advantage when you play against the other house teams."

When she put it like _that_ it didn't seem like such a let down to Draco after all. "Hermione, you always know just what to say to cheer me up," he told her, giving his friend a half-smile. "Now, would you fancy a lift back to the castle?" he asked, lifting up his broom.

The Ravenclaw girl returned his smile. "Maybe just this once," she agreed. "And only if you promise not to do any of those spirals or sharp drops."

She mounted the broom behind him, never seeing the smirk on his face. He couldn't resist showing off to her a little.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am so glad that you are enjoying this fluffiness. We are going to change up the perspective a bit in this one. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Huge thank you to Ava Safari for beta reading this chapter!

Please let me know what you though of chapter seven and be on the lookout for chapter eight soon!

* * *

 _1993_

Hermione Black had been dreading this day long before Arcturus received his letter in the mail. As soon as Narcissa Malfoy had informed her of Hermione Granger's presence in her school for young muggleborns, she knew that it was inevitable that she would cross paths with herself. Well, her younger self, the one who hadn't gone back in time and (hopefully) would never have to even worry about Voldemort, let alone have to fight against him.

She had avoided it several times over, missing more than one of young Draco's birthday parties, but now she knew that it was unavoidable. It wasn't as if she could miss her own son's first trip to platform nine and three quarters, off to his first year at Hogwarts.

It wasn't as though she was concerned that she would go mad when she saw her younger self. No, Hermione _Black_ knew the whole situation, and so it would be no surprise running into her younger, third year self, who had become _friends_ with Draco Malfoy, and not bitter enemies. But, she was a bit concerned that the young girl, who had no idea what was going on, might have more questions churning in her head.

"Are you ready to go?" her husband, Regulus, asked her, looking concerned. "I can just take him, if you want."

"Nonsense," she answered, looking over at her young son who was reviewing his trunk for the thousandth time to make sure that he hadn't missed _anything_. He looked a picture of the Black family, with his wavy, dark hair and mercurial gray eyes, but he took more after Hermione's face shape and temperament. And her slightly too large for her face teeth. "There is no way that I would miss out on this for him."

She wrangled her daughter, Cassiopeia, who had Hermione's same shade of hair, but which was enviably more manageable, and Arcturus together so that they could side-along to the train station together. Once they got there, they quickly found Sirius's boisterously loud family.

Stellan and Agatha would be joining their older brother, Alphard, at school that year, as would Harry Potter's younger sister, Millie. It would be a class full of Blacks and Potters and mischief makers, and Hermione privately wondered if Minerva McGonagall would be able to handle them all together.

Hermione greeted Marlene and Sirius brightly. Sirius pulled Regulus into a tight hug, ruffling his hair. Even though it had been nearly fifteen years since the two had reunited, Hermione was sure that Regulus would never appreciate being teased by his older brother.

"Where is Al?" she asked, seeing Stellan and Agatha, each as blond and beautiful as Marlene were, waiting with their trunks, affecting an air of indifference that they most certainly got from their father.

"Oh, he's over there with Harry and Draco and his little friend," Marlene pointed discreetly. "I think that Al's got a little crush on the Granger girl."

Hermione nearly choked at hearing the name Granger, but saw no maliciousness in her statement. If Marlene knew, she certainly wasn't letting on. Unwillingly, she let her eyes look over and felt her breath taken away when she found herself in the crowd.

Hermione Granger seemed more confident, more sure of herself, this time around, laughing around with the three boys. It was strange to imagine that she wasn't friends with Ron Weasley, but she was glad to see that she'd still found Harry, at least.

Sirius looked at her with suspicion in his eyes. "Well, he'd have to fight Draco for her, that's for sure," he said, making no secret that he was reading her face for every reaction. "The poor kid's smitten and he doesn't even realize it."

She pursed her lips in response. "They are barely even teenagers. It seems a bit much to imagine them squabbling over romances," she dismissed, before turning to pull her little family into a group hug, wanting to get the topic of conversation off of Hermione Granger.

"Now Arcturus, write to us as soon as you figure out which house you are in," Regulus told him, pulling his son into a manly half-hug. "We will love you no matter which house you end up in."

"But Grandpa Orion said that _every_ Black has been in Slytherin for as long as he can remember," Arcturus argued.

Hermione snorted at that. "Did he forget his own son?" she questioned, lips quirked up in a smile. "Uncle Sirius was in Gryffindor and he is a first-rate wizard, too."

"Now, get on the train. You don't want it to leave without you," Regulus proded.

"Bye, Arc," Cassiopeia said sweetly, before smirking at her big brother. "Try not to miss me too much." She always had a flair for the dramatic, reminding Hermione of her namesake. Their girl was a Slytherin through and through.

"Why on Earth would I miss you and your _whinging_?" Arcturus snapped back. "It will be nice to have some peace and quiet for once."

The trio watched as Arcturus disappeared onto the Hogwarts Express, waving goodbye when it pulled out of the station. Then they all flooed over to Grimmauld Place where they would be having lunch with Orion, Sirius and Marlene, Cygnus and Narcissa. Cassiopeia ran ahead, eager to talk to her grandpa, but Regulus held her back.

"Are you okay?" he asked, quietly, knowing that it was something she'd been worrying about for a long time.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione nodded. She'd avoided being noticed, this time at least. The inevitable was put off for a while longer, at least. "Perhaps I should talk to Narcissa about teaching her just a few beauty charms..." she said, touching her hair absentmindedly. "I never knew my hair was quite that...wild."

Regulus laughed, pressing a kiss to her temple. "You certainly grew into your looks," he told her, before giving a shudder. "It's so odd to think that she is you. It makes my head spin."

Hermione nodded in agreement, knowing that it was really far too complicated to worry about at this point. "Come on, let's go say hello to your father," she answered, patting him on the shoulder. "I wouldn't want you to overtax that brain of yours!"


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I know you guys are excited for older and younger Hermione to meet and I can say...it will happen, eventually! You can follow me over on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Huge thank you to Ava Safari for beta reading this chapter.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter eight and be on the lookout for chapter nine soon!

* * *

 _1993_

It seemed like an improbable dream that Urquhart should have been bumped off of the Slytherin Quidditch squad in favor of third year Draco Malfoy, but it had happened all the same. Marcus Flint had told him himself after the tryouts, hypothesizing that they needed something new to make them unbeatable this year.

Draco was not one to look a gift broom in its bristles and happily shared his news with his friends.

Alphard, while he had not yet made the switch from reserve squad to first team, had happily clapped him on the back, genuinely pleased for his friend, even if his fortunes hadn't changed similarly. Harry was thrilled to have someone to actually spend practice with.

When he'd told Hermione, she'd barely been able to contain her excitement for him. She spent a good ten minutes gushing about how all of his hardwork and perseverance had paid off, knowing how much time he'd spent training over the summer. That was until the game schedule came out and she noticed that the first game would be against Ravenclaw. No matter how much he badgered her, he was getting nowhere on getting her to support his team.

"Come on, Hermione, just say that you'll wear the scarf," he said, handing out the knitted grey and green article that belonged to him. "It's just for one game. My first game."

Hermione nibbled her lip. "But it's against Ravenclaw...it's my house team," she argued back, arms folded across her chest. "I promise that I'll wear it when you go against Gryffindor or Hufflepuff."

"Since when do you care about Ravenclaw Quidditch, anyways?" he asked, beginning to get quite annoyed with how stubborn she was being about this.

"Well, Duncan and I have gotten a bit closer since he's always asking me questions for his muggle studies class," Hermione answered, her cheeks going a bit pink at the fifth year's name. "And since he's on the team, Quidditch naturally comes up a bit."

"Inglebee? You care what fucking Inglebee thinks?" he asked, feeling uncharacteristically hurt that she would prioritize what that jerk thought over him. He and Hermione had been friends for years at this point, and Inglebee only seemed to notice her this past year. "Hermione, I am your _best friend_ ," he said, not caring that he was having to be manipulative, hurt shining in his grey eyes. "It's my very first Quidditch match ever. Just wear the scarf."

He shoved the Slytherin knit into her hands, before turning and stomping off, irritated that Hermione would think about supporting anyone but him. Really, Inglebee? He didn't like the idea of the older boy sniffing around Hermione, especially when his _intentions_ weren't even known. It was...odd to think that another boy might like Hermione, aside from Harry and Alphard of course.

When Saturday rolled around, he purposefully chose a seat facing away from the Ravenclaw table, not wanting to see where Hermione's loyalties lay. He wasn't sure that his ego could take it if he noticed that she wasn't wearing his scarf _before_ the game. No, it was better to imagine that she was, and save the massive row for afterwards if she hadn't worn it.

He felt so utterly nervous stepping out onto the pitch, but once he got onto his broom it was as if the whole crowd melted away. Draco felt ready to prove himself, to his teammates, to his fellow Slytherins, to the whole school. All he had to focus on up here was the quaffle and the rings. Oh, and the odd bludger or two as well.

For once, he didn't even try to focus on where Harry was, determined to score as many goals as possible before his friend caught the snitch. With the wind in his hair, the crowd melded into a blur as he zoomed by on his new, fast broom - a present from Grandpa Cygnus.

All too soon, Harry really did catch the snitch, and Draco found himself disappointed that the game hadn't gone on longer, even though he was excited that they won. He touched down on his broom and celebrated with the rest of the team, before they headed off in the direction of the locker rooms.

He was waylaid on his way there by a mass of bushy brown hair and rosy pink cheeks. Hermione pulled him in for a tight hug. "Draco, you did _amazing_ ," she praised him, before pulling back. She gave him a shy smile, suddenly finding her shoes to be very interesting.

His eyes settled on the scarf that she had wrapped tightly around her neck. Green and grey. "You really wore it?" he asked, surprised at how incredulous his voice sounded.

Hermione looked ashamed for a moment. "Of course I wore it. You are my best friend," she told him. "But, I _did_ catch hell from the rest of my housemates for it."

Draco smirked at her, knowing that he never should have doubted that Hermione would do the _right_ thing. "Well, you'll just have to come down to the Slytherin Common Room. I suspect we will be having a party to celebrate," he said, knowing that Adrian Pucey normally organized one whenever they won. "Alphard and Harry have found a way to smuggle in some butterbeer, too," he added, in a conspiratorial whisper.

Normally such a stickler for the rules, Hermione for once didn't scold him for bringing contraband onto school grounds. Instead, she was surging forward, pressing a quick peck to his cheek. "Sounds like fun. I'll stop by in a little bit," she agreed. "Congratulations again." She flounced off, not giving him a chance to respond.

Draco was left standing there, pulling his hand up to his cheek. He couldn't for the life of him think of why Hermione would have done something like that, nor could he puzzle out the warm, fuzzy feeling it caused in the pit of his stomach. Shaking his head, he turned back towards the locker rooms where his teammates were waiting, wearing a broad smile.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! We are definitely getting into those feelings stages, but you know it wouldn't be a story I wrote if there wasn't a bit of turbulence first. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Huge thank you to Ava Safari for beta reading this chapter for me!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter nine and be on the lookout for chapter ten soon!

* * *

 _1994_

It was hard to head back to Hogwarts after an enjoyable Yule Break. Draco had spent the holidays being spoiled rotten by his mum and his Grandfathers, who were all pleased that he'd been selected to be on the Quidditch team. He was lavished with presents, including a new pair of leather gloves.

His mum had even invited Hermione to come stay at the Manor for a long weekend while they were away from Hogwarts, which his friend had readily agreed to. He was a bit annoyed when his mum whisked Hermione away for a whole day to do some shopping, saying that there were some things that witches just had to do together, and Hermione had no one else but her to provide the information.

Hermione had been utterly reticent about what they'd gotten up to too, and he'd learned not to push things with her.

Determined, he pushed it from his mind and had focused on chatting with Alphard and Harry, who had loads of great stories to tell about their Yules, describing the presents they had gotten. Harry had received a Cloak of Invisibility from his father, who had made him promise not to tell his mum about it. Alphard had received a paper map which showed where everyone in the castle was.

They were debating whether to tell Hermione about it, knowing that the Ravenclaw girl was likely to turn them in straight away for breaking the rules, but wanted to get her in on the fun of the eventual pranks they would play on the Gryffindors. Ron Weasley wasn't going to know what hit him, especially since Alphard had bribed his younger brother Stellan (who had ended up a Gryffindor while his twin Agatha was in Slytherin) into giving him the password to the common room.

" _Saint Salazar_ -" Alphard cursed, halfway into a biscuit, his yes nearly popping out of his skull when he laid eyes on someone across the room. "Is that really Hermione? _Our_ Hermione?" he asked, rubbing at his eyes comically. Draco immediately bristled at the idea of Hermione belonging to anyone but him. Yes, she was friends with Harry and Alphard, but she was his friend first.

He turned to look at the girl who was just walking into the Great Hall, and nearly spit out his pumpkin juice. She looked... _pretty_. Really pretty. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was that had changed, but most notable was her hair. Normally frizzy and bushy, her long brown hair had been styled into something resembling nice voluminous waves.

Immediately, things began to fit into place. So _this_ is what his mother had meant about things that witches just needed to do together. There was no way that he'd ever be able to give Hermione the kind of beauty advice that his mother had.

Still, she looked awkward and a bit nervous, as though she was still not quite used to the attention that she was obviously receiving. She had her arms crossed over her chest, trying to cocoon herself from the outside world. Temporarily, Draco cursed his mother for pushing her too far too fast. But then, she made eye contact with him, and all her nerves seemed to melt away. Hermione waved at him shyly, before heading to the Ravenclaw table.

Alphard made a hideous noise that sounded like a whine. "Sweet _Salazar_ , she looks so hot," he said, unable to tear his eyes away from Hermione for even a moment.

Draco, feeling his heart pound against his chest in fear, couldn't stop himself from sending the mildest of stinging hexes at Alphard, snarling at him. "Would you stop talking about Hermione like she's some kind of animal?" he demanded. "She is our friend and we should treat her with respect. Do you know how disgusted she would be if she knew that you were over here panting over her?"

The other boy looked suitably chastised. Harry, wearing a blush on his cheeks, shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know Draco. Don't witches appreciate it when you tell them you think they are pretty?" he asked, sounding surprised. "Who knew what she was hiding under all that hair?"

Unable to help himself, Draco sneered at the pair of friends. He swallowed thickly, his mind whirling over the possibilities of what would happen if Alphard or Harry told Hermione that they thought she was pretty. Would she like it? Would she prefer them to him? "Don't you know how _ridiculous_ that sounds? Hermione would be offended if she thought that your feelings for her changed because of how she looks. She's the kind of witch that values her character."

"Oh, and you think you are the wizard to _value her character_?" Alphard countered, peering at Draco like he was some kind of jealous neanderthal.

"I-its not like that," Draco argued, not really knowing how he felt about Hermione. It wasn't as if he was _in love_ with her, but she was just...his. His best friend.

"So you won't mind if I ask her to a Hogsmeade weekend then?" Alphard asked sounding nonchalant.

Draco could not let this happen. They'd only just barely begun to notice girls at all this year, and already Alphard had an impressive track record of dates and stolen snogs. He couldn't _stand_ the idea of Hermione being added to that list. When things didn't work out, as they inevitably would, he wouldn't be able to handle it if Hermione no longer wanted to hang out with them.

He sneered back at his friend. "You will do absolutely _nothing_ of the sort, or I will tell her about all the things you were saying about her," Draco countered, smirking in triumph when Alphard's face grew pale at the threat.

No, they would treat Hermione no differently from before, so as not to make her feel uncomfortable. Draco resolutely determined that he would say absolutely nothing about the changes that his mother must have encouraged Hermione to make and everything would go on as normal.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! Normally these chapters are stand alone, but this one will have follow up next chapter. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter ten and be on the lookout for chapter eleven soon!

* * *

 _1994_

Draco had been surprised when they announced that the Triwizard Tournament was coming back to Hogwarts after centuries of it being discontinued. It certainly explained why his mum was in such a tizzy all summer. The only thing that he'd been able to get out of her was that it involved school politics. If he had to guess now, Narcissa Malfoy probably did not approve of bringing back a series of tasks that had killed school children in the past.

But, Narcissa Malfoy did not get her way in this instance and students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang invaded the Hogwarts grounds in September.

Draco found it annoying that he had to share his already limited space with them, though the rest of the students seemed quite intrigued by the prospect of new people to crush on, new people to talk to, and of course, Viktor Krum. Draco had seen him fly that summer at the World Cup and it seemed impossible to believe that a world class Quidditch player would be at their school, let alone as one of the three selected champions, along with Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons and Cedric Diggory from Hogwarts.

He had realized that the Tournament meant that there would be a Yule Ball, long before Professor Vector put up sign ups for dancing lessons in the Slytherin Common Room. Harry and Alphard had decided to sign up, not wanting to make absolute fools out of themselves, and despite already being quite good at dancing, Draco tagged along.

It was after one of the dancing practices that the trio of boys started talking about the necessity of actually getting a date. "Cheer up, Harry, I am sure there will be some other girl that you can ask. Daphne maybe?" Alphard suggested helpfully, after Harry revealed that he'd been turned down to go with Cho Chang. The Black heir was going to be attending the ball with Mandy Brocklehurst, having asked her weeks ago after a Hogsmeade weekend.

"Nah, she's already going with Blaise," Harry answered with a frown. "Maybe I'll just ask one of the Beauxbaton girls. They are rather pretty aren't they?"

Draco made a noise before he could help it. While they were _different_ he didn't think that there was anything special about the French girls.

"Oh? Who are you asking then?" Alphard asked, puffing his chest out.

The blond scoffed in response. "I figured that I'd just go with Hermione," he answered smoothly. "She's my best friend after all."

"Well, have you asked her? Because Hermione isn't exactly a mind reader, mate," Harry scolded him.

Draco sucked in a breath realizing that he had _maybe_ let it go a little bit long before asking her. They talked all the time, but the details of the dance just never seemed to come up. "Well, if you're so worried about it, I'll just go ask her now," he countered, thinking that it probably was a good idea to go.

He left the Common Room for the library, knowing that it was the most likely place to find her. But, when he got there, Hermione wasn't at her usual table. Scouring the aisles, he didn't see even a glimpse of her, but he did find his cousin, Arcturus. Seeing as the second year was in the same house as Hermione, perhaps he would know. "Hey, Arc," Draco said in greeting. "Do you know where Hermione is?"

" _Why_ does everyone always ask me that?" he asked with a huff, reminding him of the slightly snobbish way that Uncle Regulus spoke. "It's not as if she's my sister."

"I just thought that you might know since you are housemates, and you both seem to be in love with the library," Draco argued back. "If you don't know where she is, I'll leave. I just wanted to ask her to the Yule Ball."

"Didn't you hear?" Acrturus asked, with a rather Slytherin looking smirk on his lips. "It's all that the school could talk about for the past week."

"Well, what is it?" Draco demanded. Didn't Arcturus know that he paid little mind to the gossip that went around, especially after the rumor late last year that he and Pansy were betrothed to one another? _As if_ his mother would agree to something as stupid as that.

Arcturus gave him a sad look then, all of his gloating gone. "Hermione already _has_ a date to the Yule Ball," he explained quietly. "It's Viktor Krum."

Draco felt his mouth drop open in surprise. "Viktor Krum?" he asked, sounding dumbfounded that Hermione would agree to go with someone dark and brooding and _older_ like Krum. "But she doesn't even like Quidditch that much."

His cousin shrugged his shoulders, unable to explain the attraction. "Sure, but that hasn't stopped him from studying with her in the library all year. She's probably with him now," Arcturus explained further.

Feeling as if his world was spinning out of control, Draco could feel his heart sink in despair. How had he not known that Hermione had grown so close to someone? And even worse, how was it someone as famous and desirable as Krum? Literally all the girls at school had been absolutely bonkers over him. Then he remembered how he'd been skiving off studying with her in exchange for messing about with Alphard and Harry, exploring the secret passages on the Marauders Map and staying up too late.

 _Salazar_ , he thought to himself, he'd been a terrible friend all year, but it still sort of felt as if Hermione had gone behind his back and found herself a secret boyfriend. He couldn't even begin to untangle _why_ that felt like such a big betrayal to him, especially when he knew that he didn't have that sort of claim over her.

Harry had been right that Hermione wasn't a mind reader. She hadn't known that he'd been planning on asking her, so he couldn't exactly _blame_ her for going with someone else. But he still felt like they needed to hash things out. And he could only do that by talking to Hermione.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! Hopefully Draco will behave better than Ron does in canon - let me know how you think it turned out! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions! Huge thank you to Ava Safari for beta reading this chapter!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter eleven and be on the lookout for chapter twelve soon!

* * *

 _1995_

After learning that Hermione was going to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum, Draco was fairly certain that he'd fucked everything in their friendship up. He'd tracked her down the next morning, finding her on the grounds with the Bulgarian Seeker himself.

"Are you really going to the Yule Ball with Krum?" he asked, sounding utterly confused and bewildered.

It must have been his tone that had set Hermione on edge, because immediately she was prickling under his gaze. "Yes, I am going with Viktor," she confirmed, the smile falling from her face.

"Why?" The questioned had come out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Knowing that he needed to explain himself, he tried to get out what it was he was feeling, even though he didn't entirely know _what_ it was that he was feeling. "I just mean, I thought that maybe you and I would go together as friends."

Hermione immediately scoffed. "I am going with him because he asked me and I like him," she answered, before crossing her arms over her chest in a defensive pose. "If you really wanted to go with me, you would have asked me weeks ago."

"I lost track of time," he'd answered, lamely.

"The Ball is only a week away, Draco," she countered. Hermione didn't give him a chance to hash it out further, leaving him alone with his thoughts so that she could go rejoin Viktor.

It hurt so much that she was going with someone else and that he knew that he had no one to blame for this turn of events other than himself. He knew that he needed to make things right, but he wasn't sure how.

His mother would kill him if he'd acted in any way less than chivalrous with a witch, so it would be impossible to ask her for advice. While he thought about writing to his Grandfather Cygnus or Uncle Sirius, he quickly dismissed that idea, knowing that he probably needed a woman's perspective. Eventually, he settled on sending an owl to his Aunt Hermione.

Her owl had arrived the morning after the Yule Ball, which Draco had attended with one of the pretty girls from Beauxbatons, even if he didn't really enjoy himself much. The tone of his Aunt Hermione's words were...bemused, and he wondered if she'd had a similar experience before. She told him that no girl liked feeling like a last resort, and by waiting so long to bring up the dance with Hermione, he'd sent the signal to his friend that he had only thought of her when he couldn't come up with anyone else to go with.

Aunt Hermione's advice was... _illuminating_ to say the least. He thought that she was probably right, based on _his_ Hermione's assertion that he should have asked her weeks ago. Draco knew that he needed to make things right between the two of them.

He found Hermione in the library, shortly after the new year, and she was blessedly free of Krum's brooding presence. "Care if I join you?" he asked, waiting for her affirmative response before he slipped into the seat opposite of her. "You looked really pretty at the Yule Ball. I'm sorry I didn't get to tell you on the evening."

Hermione flushed under his compliment. "Thank you, Draco," she answered. "I was thinking that you might have asked for a dance."

"I didn't think you'd really want to talk to me, not with how our last conversation went," he said. He hadn't wanted to ruin Hermione's night, not when she looked to be having so much fun with Krum.

A little smirk formed on her lips. "Yeah, you're probably right," she agreed eventually.

"Listen, I...I wanted you to know that I don't think of you as a last resort," he said finally. "I really didn't mean to save asking you to go to the Yule Ball with me until the last minute. I just assumed that-"

"You assumed that no one else would want to go with me," Hermione said, letting him know how much he'd hurt her.

"No, that's not it at all. I just...I always imagined that we would go together," he tried to explain not knowing exactly how to put it into words. He and Hermione just always seemed to fit _together_ , it was strange to imagine them doing things separately. "It was rude of me to wait so long without discussing it with you. I had no right to be peeved when you wanted to go with someone else."

It was painful for him to have to apologize to her so thoroughly, to take full ownership of his wrong. Malfoys so rarely apologized for anything, as they always had the tendency to be right. But his Aunt Hermione's letter had opened his eyes that in this case, he was definitely in the wrong.

"I-thank you, Draco," Hermione said finally, her eyes boring into him as though she were trying to read his mind. "I know how hard it is for you to apologize to me. You are forgiven."

"If it matters, well, I am glad that you had fun with Krum," Draco said, even though he didn't really feel that way. He was still a selfish boy, after all, and part of him wished that Hermione wouldn't have fun with anyone but him.

Before they could hash things out any longer, Krum was looming over their table, looking like he'd made plans to join Hermione in the library. Feeling pushed out, Draco knew not to overstay his welcome and collected his bag, ready to leave the two of them alone. Just as he was turning to leave, though, Hermione's voice caught his attention.

"Draco!" she called after him. When he turned around, she was giving him a shy smile, nervously playing with the hem of her skirt. "I would have said yes, if you'd asked."

 _That_ knowledge was enough to put a spring in his step, even as he retreated back down towards the Slytherin Common Room.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am so glad that you guys are enjoying this one. This chapter has a bit of young Hermione perspective. I can't remember if we have done that before or not. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twelve and be on the lookout for chapter thirteen soon!

* * *

 _1995_

"Watch where you are going, Granger," Weasley growled when he pushed his way past her as she was leaving the library, knocking all of the books that she was carrying out of her hands.

Stumbling, Hermione scoffed staring at the mess that had been created at her feet. Her fingers tightened around her wand, while she tried to talk herself out of losing house points for dueling in the hallway. Rowena knew that Weasley was on her last nerve. " _You're_ the one who ran into me, Weasley," she countered. Then she pushed him where she knew it would hurt - his family. She'd seen enough arguments between him and Draco to know that it was sure to send steam coming out of his ears. "Guess your mother didn't teach you any manners. She must have been too busy with your more accomplished siblings to bother with _you_."

"Oh, fuck off, Granger," he said, though a violent red colored flush was creeping up his neck. "You don't want to get into something you can't handle since your little body guards aren't with you. Did the snakes finally get sick of you?"

If Weasley's family was his button to push, mention of Draco, Alphard and Harry were her's. Hermione often felt rather uncool compared to the three Slytherins and she knew that many people wondered what the popular boys were doing hanging around with her. Unable to resist, she sent a stinging hex right for his nose, making Weasley yelp and run away.

 _Good,_ she thought to herself. It wouldn't do to let him see the tears that had been prickling in the corners of her eyes. Sighing, she knelt down on the hard stone floor so that she could gather up her books once more, before making the long trek up towards Ravenclaw Tower. Luna Lovegood was already there answering the riddle, so Hermione happily followed her in, feeling too flustered to do much critical thinking at the moment.

Hermione's eyes swept the Common Room before settling on her friend, Mandy Brocklehurst, sitting in one of the window seats. Immediately, she made her way over, keen to share her frustrations with someone else.

"Whoa, what's got a snitch in your bonnet?" the half-blood girl, her brown eyes widening in surprise at the dark look on Hermione's face.

"Weasley," Hermione answered glumly. "I don't know why he has it out for me. He just shoved past me when I was leaving the library, and made me drop all my books before making a comment about how I don't have any friends."

Mandy snorted. "Maybe he was worried that you were running off to spend time with Draco," she mused, a knowing grin on her face.

Hermione, however, had no idea what her friend was insinuating. "What do you mean?" she asked her blonde friend, wondering what she knew that Hermione didn't.

"Isn't it obvious?" Mandy asked, a smirk on her face.

Hermione shook her head. "I wouldn't be asking if I knew, Mandy," she scolded. If there was one thing that Hermione Granger didn't do, it was play dumb.

"Sometimes I wonder how you are the smartest person in our year," Mandy joked. "I think it's obvious why Weasley can't seem to leave you alone...clearly, he just has a little crush on you."

"What?" Hermione squawked, finding the idea preposterous. "That's crazy, Mandy. Weasley is always so _rude_ to me. I just told you that he pushed me out of the way." If Weasley really did like her, he was not doing a good job of showing it, in Hermione's opinion. And, he certainly wasn't doing anything to make her like him back.

"Didn't you see the look on his face when you hugged Draco after the Slytherin-Gryffindor match the other week?" Mandy asked, a grin on her face. "He looked positively murderous to see you wrapped around him."

"If he looked murderous, it was probably just because of how terrible he played," Hermione said with a sniff. Draco had been positively gleeful to learn that Weasley had made keeper for Gryffindor that year, and had been busy working up all sorts of plays for the chasers. He'd scored a record for Slytherin house in that game.

Then, she blushed, finally having registered that Mandy said she was wrapped around Draco. "And I _wasn't_ wrapped around Draco. You are making a simple hug between friends seem salacious," she corrected. Even though she wasn't a Slytherin, she had been so overcome with elation at Slytherin's smashing win that she hadn't been able to stop herself from running and hugging Draco as soon as they walked off the pitch. Draco and laughed, hugging her back fiercely and spinning her around in a circle.

"Uh-huh," Mandy said with a raised eyebrow, clearly not believing what Hermione was saying.

"I don't know what else to tell you," Hermione said, tucking her knees underneath her chin in an attempt to hide her blush. "Draco and I are just good friends. Best friends even. We have been since I was six years old."

"Well, even if that is true - which, I happen to think the two of you are in denial, for the record - it certainly doesn't seem like that from the outside," Mandy countered. "And, I think that Weasley is just jealous. So he takes it out on you."

Hermione rolled her eyes at hearing that. "Boys," she said with a frown. "They are so stupid."

With her frustrations vented, Hermione decided to retreat to her bed for the evening, hoping to do a bit of light reading before bed. But, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't focus on the words in front of her. Instead, all she could think about was what Mandy had said. Was it possible that Ronald Weasley really liked her? If so, she wondered why he was determined to be such a thorn in her side. But even more unsettling, did people really think that there was more than just friendship between her and Draco?

And, did she want there to be?


	13. Chapter 13

_1996_

Draco hated going to Azkaban to visit his father. He went twice a year, and only at his Grandfather Abraxas's request. His father looked more and more terrible every time that he saw him, his long blond hair stringy and dirty, his eyes wild and crazed. No matter how insane Lucius looked, he always managed to deliver cutting remarks that put his mum in quite a mood.

He hated the way the man that had sired him looked down on all the positive changes that his mum was making, complaining about mudbloods ruining the Malfoy name. Draco thought it was ironic that he was so concerned, when Lucius had done more to ruin the Malfoy name than anything he or his mum could ever hope to accomplish.

It was a draining, trying experience, to be reminded that your father thought you were a failure and a disappointment. He liked to think that what Lucius thought of him didn't matter, but it would be a week before he could get the negative comments out of his head.

That's why he was so grateful when Hermione was waiting for him at the entrance to the Headmaster's office when he returned from his visit, wrapping him up in a quick hug. She knew all the horrible details of what his father had done as a Death Eater, and he knew that he didn't have to hide from her, but she didn't go out of her way to make him _talk_ about his _feelings_.

Draco was content to feel her warmth seeping into him, his nose buried in her hair while he breathed in her bright scent.

"Off to visit your Death Eater daddy, then, Malfoy?" Weasley's voice pierced the calmness of the hallway.

While he was generally liked by all of his classmates, Weasley did not seem able to let go of his hatred of him. As the redhead constantly wore a chip on his shoulder, it was no surprise that he resorted to name calling and underhanded remarks to get a rise out of Draco. It was a pity that it always seemed to work so well.

He hated having any association with his father made, hoping that he could be seen as his own man like his mother had promised. It was an uphill battle, he knew, owing that he could thank Lucius for some of his good looks, the older professors commenting on how much he'd grown up to look like him. Draco didn't want to be told that he _seemed_ anything like the man who'd made a sport of killing muggles.

"Just ignore him," Hermione said tersely, squeezing his hand in hers, trying to convince him to take the high road as always.

"Do you need your little girlfriend to fight all your battles for you?" Weasley sneered, not sensing that Draco's emotions were already raw, already on edge from the visit he'd just had. "Does your scum father know that you like to fuck a muggleborn? Or, let's be real, he'd call her a _mudblood_."

Draco had drawn his wand, pointing it in Weasley's direction before he could even think. His heart was pounding in his chest, his pulse rushing in his ears drowning out all the other noises. "Don't you _dare_ talk about Hermione that way, Weaselbee," he sneered. "And Hermione's _not_ my girlfriend."

The thought of Hermione and _fucking_ in the same sentence was doing something peculiar to his mind, sending images - forbidden images - behind his eyes. Of course you'd have to be bloody blind not to see how pretty Hermione had grown over the years, but...she was his friend and...anything else seemed tantalizingly out of reach. It wasn't something he wanted. Right?

"Run along Weasley, before I give you detention," Hermione instructed, wanting to use her status as a fifth year prefect to avoid a duel in the hallway, if she could help it. Draco knew that she wouldn't hesitate to take house points from _him_ if he cast a jinx in front of her.

Weasley scoffed at her. "You're delusional Granger," he answered back, but made to move like he was going to leave. "Even _he_ doesn't want you."

When Weasley was finally gone, Draco turned to see Hermione looking upset. Hurt even. Her eyebrows were knit together in confusion, and he could practically hear her brain whirring away, overthinking things. Her jaw was clenched and he knew that she was holding off on telling him whatever it was that she wanted to.

Stepping closer to her, he pressed his hands to her shoulders. He hoped that she wasn't hurt by his vehemence, but he had wanted to set the record straight. "Hey, you know that I didn't mean it in a negative way, right?"

Hermione had to crane her neck up to look at him these days, and Draco wondered when she'd grown so short. Or maybe, when he'd grown so tall. "Right, no need to apologize," she snapped at him.

Then he knew that she _was_ hurt. "It's not that I don't like you," he said in a rush, feeling his heart skip a beat at the words. "I do like you. You are my best friend, Hermione." It was true, too. He might have Harry and Alphard now, but there was no denying that still, after all these years, different houses and growing up, Hermione was his best friend. He couldn't imagine a world where they didn't get along.

"Of course, best friends," Hermione nodded, her voice wavering. She broke eye contact first, before shaking out of his hold and turning to leave. "I've got some more homework to catch up on," she dismissed him. "Maybe I will see you later."

He wanted to call after her, to talk more about...whatever the hell had just happened, but he didn't know what more he could say. All he knew was that he hurt Hermione, but he wouldn't be able to fix anything now, not when she was in one of her stubborn moods. Feeling more confused than ever about Hermione, he decided to return to his dorm in Slytherin for some introspection.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I hope that you like what I've got planned for this chapter...I am excited about it. You know we've got all kinds of ups and downs. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter fourteen and be on the lookout for chapter fifteen soon!

* * *

 _1996_

By the time the end of fifth year rolled around, Draco just wanted a break from studying for the OWLs. He was grateful that Hermione had kept a very strict revision schedule for herself, otherwise, he knew that he would be far behind what he needed to accomplish. Since he was feeling so confident, he jumped at the chance to go to the last Hogsmeade weekend of the year, especially as the weather was shaping up to be phenomenal.

It did not take much cajoling to get Harry and Alphard to agree to ditch their studies. The two boys were looking for any excuse to get out of the castle, really. But, Draco wanted to invite Hermione as well, knowing that the girl was likely to go spare if she crammed one more fact in that big, beautiful brain of hers.

The trio of Slytherins caught her on the way to dinner the night before the Hogsmeade Saturday to ask her to come with them. "Hey Hermione," Draco said with a charming smile on his face, knowing that it was going to be an uphill battle to get her to agree to go with. But, he was confident that a little bit of Malfoy charm could get her to concede. "We were planning on heading to Hogsmeade tomorrow. You should come with us."

Hermione returned the smile, but shook her head. "I'd love to, but I can't," she responded, her brown eyes darting shyly towards the Ravenclaw table.

"Aw, come on, Hermione," Alphard said, wrapping an arm around the shorter girl's shoulders. "You've studied plenty. It will be good for you to blow off some steam before the OWLs."

She artfully ducked out from under Alphard's heavy arm. "Oh, I am going to Hogsmeade," she said smugly, perhaps loving that they had misjudged her plans. "I just can't go with you lot. I've got a date."

"A date?" Draco sputtered, surprised to hear that anyone had asked Hermione. No, scratch that - it wasn't that he was surprised that someone had _asked_ Hermione, just that _this_ was the first he was hearing about it. Didn't everyone know that he was her...well, her best friend? Shouldn't she have told him about it? "With who?" he asked, hoping his tone did not sound too accusatory.

"Duncan," Hermione answered sweetly, before giving the seventh year Ravenclaw a little wave and a sweet smile, before returning her attention to her friends. "Apparently, he's been trying to work up the courage to ask me for like two years now. He said he couldn't leave Hogwarts without knowing if there could be something between us."

Draco turned to look at Duncan Inglebee's smug face and tried not to sneer at him in return. The Ravenclaw was a formidable beater at this point, all tall and brawny. But, Draco had always thought of him as a bit of an imbecile based on the sorts of questions he asked Hermione about muggle studies. Now, though, he could admit that it might have been a smart play on his part.

"Inglebee?" Harry asked, sounding surprised as well. "Well, to each their own, I guess. See you later Hermione. Hope you have a good time." Leave it to Harry to make some kind of accidental jibe at Hermione's taste in men, only to pull them away before she could do anything about it.

Draco was grateful to Harry for finding a way to end the conversation, though. He was positive he would have said something _much_ less charitable about the big beater. When they were in the privacy of the Slytherin table, though, Harry and Alphard were only too happy to join in on denigrating Inglebee.

"Really? Inglebee?" Alphard said pushing his dark, wavy hair back out of his eyes. "Even _I_ wouldn't try a line like that. Poor Hermione. Do you think she knows he basically said he wants to try to get a shag in before graduation?"

Alphard's words made Draco's insides twist with dismay over the thought of bloody Inglebee putting his hands all over Hermione. "I can't believe she didn't tell us until right now," he complained to his two friends.

"Oh, I wonder why she didn't tell you?" came the smug little voice of his cousin from down the table. Cassiopeia Black took after his Uncle Regulus with her dark wavy hair and gray eyes, but the way that she acted was _just_ like his Aunt Hermione. "Just listen to how _supportive_ you are being," she said sarcastically.

"Shut up, Cass," Alphard frowned, thinking that the little pipsqueak first year was rather sticking her nose where it didn't belong.

"We are just trying to look after her," Draco added, feeling the need to explain himself to her.

"Well, it's not as if you are her _boyfriend_ ," Cassiopeia said with a smirk. "It's not like she needs your permission to go on a date with someone she likes."

Draco felt the beginnings of a blush on his cheeks, remembering how Weasley had accused him of the same thing, and how quickly he had acted to set the record straight. "Of course not, but I'm just her friend and I want to make sure that...that...she isn't mistreated."

" _Best_ friends, right?" Cassiopeia added with another grin, making him wonder if she knew more than he let on.

Alphard was done with talking to his cousin. "You are too young to know what you are talking about, Cassie," he said with a frown, not liking the idea of Hermione dating Inglebee either. "And stop acting so _moral_. It's a wonder that you made it into Slytherin at all."

Staring back down at his dinner, Draco suddenly found that he wasn't as hungry as he'd been when he left classes. All he could think about was Inglebee trying to shove his tongue down Hermione's throat.

Harry, sensing his friends discomfort, gave him a comforting clap on the back. "Don't worry, mate," he whispered with a small smile. "We'll keep an eye on them...from a respectable distance, of course."

Draco wasn't sure if that wouldn't make it harder, to see Hermione enjoy herself so much with someone who wasn't him.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I think that this chapter will help clear up some of the questions about younger and older Hermione. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter fifteen and be on the lookout for chapter sixteen soon!

* * *

 _1996_

Hermione Black hadn't been back to Hogwarts in over ten years, but it felt like coming home when she walked onto the grounds from Hogsmeade village, accompanied by her brother-in-law, Sirius Black. She had thought that she would never come back to the school, but then her son had made Ravenclaw's Quidditch squad, where he played chaser, and she knew that she had to come support him.

"What do you say to a little friendly wager?" he asked as they neared the Quidditch pitch. "I bet that Slytherin will snag the win right from under Ravenclaw's noses. Harry will get the snitch and Slytherin will get the result."

She smiled back at him, thinking about how odd it was to be so friendly with Sirius Black. In the over fifteen years that she'd been married to Regulus, she had delighted in seeing his second chance at life, one that was happy and fulfilled with his wife and children. "I will take that bed, Sirius," she said with a smirk. "You know, I don't think that I'll ever get used to you cheering for Slytherin."

"Well, Alphard is just such an amazing beater, I can't cheer against my own son," he said with a grin. "And Harry is a prodigy. Can't help it if the pair of them ended up in Slytherin together," he said with a shrug.

Hermione knew that it had come as quite a shock to Sirius and James when their sons had written home to tell them that they had been sorted into Slytherin. "I'd wager it's Draco's doing," she answered back. "They all get on so well."

They found their seats easily enough, sitting with the professors. As time had gone on, it had gotten easier for her to remember that her professors didn't remember her as the brightest witch of her age, and rather solely as Arcturus and Cassiopeia's mum.

She cheered heartily when she saw Arcturus fly onto the pitch in his blue uniform. He hadn't followed in his father's footsteps, instead choosing to play as a chaser. Her eyes scanned the Slytherin crowd and she found Cassiopeia nestled in with the other students, cheering heartily against her brother, instead choosing to cheer for her cousins.

The game got off to a raucous start. Hermione could admit how strange it was to see Harry and Draco working together on the same team, but she could admit that Draco's decision to play chaser rather than seeker (solely to thwart his nemesis) had paid off. It was the sixth year's first season as captain, and they were doing admirably, quickly racking up nearly one hundred points. The Ravenclaw keeper just couldn't seem to keep up with them.

At the end, Slytherin was victorious, with Harry securing the snitch in a spectacular dive. She let her eyes wander through the stands and found that the only Ravenclaw who seemed excited about the win was... _herself_. Hermione felt her breath leave her when she watched this alternate version of herself waving at Draco, sending him a thumbs up when he did a lap around the stadium.

They wanted to see their sons after the game, but Arcturus proved to be too moody over the loss to talk to his mum and Alphard was too busy trying to get a witch's attention to talk to them for more than two minutes. Hermione watched as her younger self came bounding their way, eager to speak with Draco, and she knew that she needed to get Sirius out of there as quickly as possible. It was easy to dismiss any similarities between her and her younger self while she had been younger, but now that Hermione Granger was seventeen, she knew she wouldn't be as lucky.

"Head to the Three Broomsticks for a pint?" she asked, shouldering Sirius. "I believe I owe you for winning the bet."

Sirius, to her delight, was only too happy to take her up on the offer, eagerly ribbing her about how difficult it must be to have to cheer for Ravenclaw. "Cass might take up after Reggie, though," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders while they walked to Hogsmeade village. "Under Harry's tutelage, she could be a great seeker. Then you can cheer for a winning team!"

Hermione had grown introspective and quiet by the time that she had a pint of butterbeer in front of her. She had gotten by so far without anyone discovering her secret, but she worried that it was only a matter of time before the kneazle was let out of the bag.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Sirius was already miles ahead of her. "Were you in Ravenclaw the first time around?" he asked.

She choked on the butterbeer, unsure of what she should say to him. She'd known that Sirius had had suspicions over the years, but she never expected him to put it all together. Perhaps she shouldn't have underestimated one of the best aurors the Ministry had. Hermione cleared her throat. "I was a Gryffindor," she said quietly. "Harry was, too. And he and Draco hated one another."

"Alphard?" he asked, cautiously, as if he already knew the answer the question.

Hermione shook her head, softly. "There was no Alphard. There was no Regulus," she explained, wondering if she was burdening him by telling him all of the details. "There was no James and Lily."

Sirius recoiled in horror when she explained about all the loss that could have been. "I'm happy for it then," he said finally. "But, Hermione, you know that you can't keep this a secret forever...not from her, especially."

"I'm afraid of what it will do to her," she answered meekly. It was something that she'd mulled over for years...when and if she should tell the truth to Hermione Granger. "It could drive her insane."

"It explains why you always avoid her," Sirius said, his eyebrows furrowed. "But, mark my words...Hermione Granger is going to figure it out one way or another. It would be better if the truth came from you."

Nibbling at her lower lip, Hermione knew that what Sirius said was the truth. She wouldn't be able to avoid it forever. But that didn't mean she couldn't hold out for a little while longer.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am pleased you liked seeing a bit of Hermione Black, and of course, our fave - Sirius! You can follow me over on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter sixteen and be on the lookout for chapter seventeen soon!

* * *

 _1997_

"It's okay if you are annoyed with him," Alphard Black said, pushing his black hair out of his grey eyes and giving Hermione a roguish smile. "Between you and I, Harry and I think that Draco is insane for not just asking you out already. Especially now that you and Inglebee are no more."

Hermione blushed intensely, wishing that they were not having this conversation, or if Alphard _insisted_ that they would not be having it while they wandered around Hogsmeade with one another. By themselves. Somehow, the pair of them have ended up as the odd pair out who didn't have dates. Harry had asked Daphne Greengrass to go with him, and Draco...Draco had asked Pansy Parkinson.

It was a betrayal that she never would have expected. Pansy had _always_ gone out of her way to be rude to Hermione, especially when she figured out that she wasn't going anywhere from Draco's life. Pansy's critiques of Hermione were endless, from her looks to her smarts to her blood status. She made it all too clear that someone with Hermione's _background_ had no business being a friend to the Malfoys.

"Draco doesn't need to ask me out _anywhere_ ," Hermione insisted, though if she was completely honest with herself, she could admit that she wanted nothing more than to give a relationship a try with the boy who had turned her life upside down since she was six years old. "He and I are just good friends, Alphard."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it from the both of you, Granger," Alphard scoffed, rolling his eyes."But don't you guys ever wonder? You get along great normally...you could have chemistry."

"I wouldn't want to throw our friendship away for the chance to have a kiss," Hermione scolded him. That was what held her back from trying anything more with Draco, even though she could admit that it was something she thought about more than ever. "Draco is my best friend."

"Alright, Hermione," Alphard said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to stave off the cold of the wintry winds. "You don't have to convince me."

Hermione turned her head into Alphard's side, enjoying the comfort he provided to her. Of the three Slytherin boys, Alphard was by far the tallest, towering over her. "Thanks," she said feeling contrite. "Three Broomsticks?" she offered, thinking that she might enjoy a butterbeer.

The other boy nodded, leading the way towards the cozy little pub. On the way, they walked in front of Madame Puddifoot's, and saw Draco and Pansy sitting together at the table in the window. Pansy looked as if she was having the time of her life, her fingers tightly wound around Draco's wrist, as if she wasn't going to be letting go any time soon.

Blinking back tears, Hermione scoffed, catching Alphard's attention. "I don't _mind_ if Draco dates someone else," she whispered, wondering if he'd even be able to hear her. "But did it have to be her? You know what she says about me being muggleborn."

"Hey, you know none of _us_ feel that way, right?" the Black heir asked, wanting to be sure. "My parents fought against Voldemort and so did Harry's. And Draco's mum has done everything she can to set her and Draco apart from what Lucius did. Draco is disgusted that his father could have supported someone like Voldemort. I guarantee that if Pansy tried to say something about you to him, he would put a stop to it immediately."

She nodded, but a terrible little part of her wondered if maybe Draco didn't prefer to be with someone like Pansy, who was a pureblood and had a family that actually understood magic. Her parents _tried_ , but there was no pretending that she wasn't the black sheep of her family.

When they got to the Three Broomsticks, they squeezed into a booth with one another, pints in each of their hands. "My Aunt Hermione would kick his arse if she ever thought he was acting like a little bigot," Alphard added.

That certainly piqued her interest. Aunt Hermione was a presence in Draco's life, but was also one of the only people in Draco's family that she hadn't met. She'd met both of his grandfather's, and Hermione's husband Regulus, but it seemed that their paths never seemed to cross, not even when they should have. "What's she like, your Aunt Hermione?"

"She's one hell of a witch," Alphard said, sounding impressed. "She didn't get a lot of coverage during the war, but she and my Uncle Regulus played a huge role in bringing down Voldemort. You know, she reminds me a lot of you. But maybe that's just because you share a name."

"I'd love to meet her someday," Hermione said softly, thinking that she really would like to know the mysterious woman who shared her name, especially with how highly everyone spoke of her.

Alphard and Hermione whiled the rest of the afternoon away in their little booth, sitting shoulder to shoulder and drinking more butterbeer than they probably should have. As the light went down, Hermione realized how much fun she had with Alphard. It wasn't typical that the two of them would spend much time alone together. "I had a great day with you, Alphard," she said, looking into his eyes.

"No problem," he said, his eyes focusing in on her lips.

Before she knew what was happening, he was leaning down and pressing his lips against hers in a quick kiss. Hermione was stunned for a moment, before she was pulling back, a gasp bubbling up from her throat. That had been _unexpected_. It had also felt odd...like kissing her brother. "Was that...was that weird for you too?" she asked, cautiously.

Alphard was nodding sheepishly. "Yeah," he said with a frown. "Sorry, Hermione, I figured I would give it a shot...see if we had any chemistry," he explained. "Guess not."

Hermione could agree. "Should we just...forget that this happened?" she offered, not wanting things to be weird between her and Alphard.

"Of course," he said with a laugh. "Let's get you back to the castle. We can get you to the library to do a bit more NEWTs revision before dinner."


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Please let me know what you thought of chapter seventeen and be on the lookout for chapter eighteen soon!

* * *

 _1998_

Ever since Draco had met Hermione all of those years ago, he had known that she was a witch who was going places. She was so driven and focused and smart, he knew that there was no chance that she wouldn't do well in the wizarding world, even though she didn't have the benefit of having magical parents. When they had gotten to Hogwarts and they had gone through their first classes, he had eagerly told her that she would be Head Girl someday.

He was proud to say that he had been right. It had been an easy decision to make Hermione the Head Girl in the end. Harry had won the right to be Head Boy, narrowly beating Draco himself out. Draco was okay with it, seeing as he _had_ won the coveted Captaincy of the Slytherin Quidditch squad, just like his grandfather had predicted.

Now that they were actually graduating Hogwarts, though, he was bursting with pride watching _his_ Hermione giving a speech to the class. She had grown into an exceptionally beautiful woman. Her hair was a point of endless fascination for him. When they were children, her hair had been a bit frizzy and wild, but she'd figured out how to style it a few years before - not _tame_ it, because it was still voluminous and lush, but...more, how to work with it.

With Hermione's speech over and their diplomas in hand, Draco was eager to go talk to his friend. He found her chatting with his mum and the rest of the Board of Governors. He couldn't stop himself from running up to her, wrapping his arms around her middle and spinning her around in a circle. "You did amazing, Hermione," he complimented her.

She looked flushed and excited, her brown eyes sparkling in delight when they fell on his. "Thank you, Draco," she said. "I can't believe we are actually leaving school now. It seems like just yesterday we were heading off on the train."

If he wasn't mistaken, he detected a hint of sadness in her voice. "Hey, don't worry, it's not as if we won't be seeing a lot of one another," he said with a smirk. "Slytherin house is meeting at a pub in Diagon Alley later tonight, if you wanted to come with?" he offered.

"Is Pansy going to be there?" Hermione asked, her mouth pressed tightly in a line, showing her displeasure.

Draco groaned internally. "Well, yeah," he said. It wasn't as if he'd specifically invited the other witch - she was a Slytherin after all. But, it wasn't as if he was unaware that she and Hermione didn't get along. Pansy always went out of her way to talk down about Hermione, and no matter how much Draco tried to discourage the behavior it had little effect. Hermione had been a bit frosty to him since he and Pansy had started to casually date. Alphard and Harry tried to get him to leave Pansy alone, too, no matter how many times he told them it wasn't serious. "But, I've spoken to her, Hermione...that she needs to be nicer to you."

Hermione scoffed, rolling her eyes, telling him that she didn't believe Pansy's words for one second. "Then no thank you," she said tersely. "I am sure that Mandy would be happy to celebrate with me."

He felt his heart drop at the realization that Hermione didn't want to spend time with him if Pansy would be showing her face. "At least come and meet my Aunt Hermione, then, before you go," he said, desperate to not let the conversation end just yet.

Hermione's eyes lit up at the suggestion, following his hand to where he was pointing. "Is that your Aunt Hermione?" she asked, her head cocked to the side, studying her.

Draco wasn't entirely sure what it was that she was looking for, because all he could see was the back of his Aunt's Head, where she was talking to a pleased looking Alphard. "Yeah, that's her," he said with a half smile. "I can't believe I've known you for over ten years and you haven't met her yet. She's brilliant, and I think you'd really like her."

It seemed as if Hermione was about to agree to go with him, but then his mother cut into the conversation with a smile. "Hermione, darling," Narcissa said warmly. "Would you come with me? There are some people from the Ministry here who I would be delighted to make your introductions to."

"But mum," Draco butted it, annoyed that his mother was swooping in and stealing his best friend from him. "I was _just_ going to go introduce Hermione to some of the family," he complained, not caring how petulant he sounded in that moment.

His mother was not impressed with his attitude, based on the withering glare that she gave him. "Draco," she said tersely. "These meetings are _far_ more important for Hermione than meeting our family. These people could have career implications for her."

Hermione turned bright pink at hearing that. "Oh Merlin," she whispered. "I wasn't prepared for this. What if I make a _horrid_ first impression?" she asked, looking to his mum for guidance.

His mother was able to smooth things over as always. "Don't worry about a thing, darling," she said, giving Hermione's shoulder a little squeeze of encouragement. "All of them will be falling all over themselves to get a chance to talk to the brightest witch that Hogwarts has seen in over a century. You will be marvelous."

His best friend seemed buoyed by the pep talk and happily followed alongside his mother to meet the _very_ important people, leaving Draco standing all on his own. He was struck by an odd sensation of deja vu, and he wondered if his friend was moving on to bigger and better things than her friendship with him. Swallowing thickly, he tried to remind himself how unfounded his fears had been when she was sorted into Ravenclaw.

He was sure that their friendship could weather this storm, too.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I do enjoy each and every one of them - even the guest reviews! I am so glad that you are still enjoying this story. I know so many of you want to smack Draco upside the head, but just know he will figure things out eventually. We have a bit more hurt to get through first. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter eighteen and be on the lookout for chapter nineteen soon!

* * *

 _1998_

After school, Draco had moved in with Harry and Alphard in a flat in a fashionable part of wizarding London. Even though all of their families would have been happy to have them, they are all keen to have their own bachelor pad, even though they had yet to choose a job. Harry was contemplating becoming a professor, so he was helping Narcissa with the muggleborns that summer to see if he enjoyed it. Alphard was having trials for Quidditch squads, though he wouldn't know if he was successful until closer to the start of the season. Draco hadn't made any firm plans, but the last time Hermione had spoken to him, he had been thinking about getting into politics. He was considering an additional career in law, but was dragging his feet on actually making a decision.

Hermione had been offered a position with the Department of Mysteries, something that she was only too happy to accept. The only problem was that they were sending her to complete an advanced degree in Arithmancy, first, as it would be crucial to her future work. Hermione was an excellent student, so she wasn't complaining too much.

She visited the boys often enough, but she always felt a little bit awkward there. She was always left feeling like...one of the _guys_. There were only too many times you could watch Harry drink orange juice directly from the carton in just his boxers or make awkward eye contact with Alphard's one night stands before she realized that they didn't see her as a woman or a potential romantic interest. It didn't stop her from hanging out there, though.

It was a lazy, summer evening and Hermione had gone to their flat with the intent of going out to the pub with them. She'd worn a very sexy outfit (in her opinion), but when she'd arrived, they were all up to their eyes in firewhiskey, playing drinking games. She was happy enough to join in, grabbing her own glass and taking a swig to get closer to their level, before settling onto the couch next to Alphard.

"Never have I ever fantasized about Daphne's tits," Alphard said with a grin, before taking a drink himself. Hermione blushed when Draco and Harry took small sips of the firewhiskey as well.

"Isn't the point of the game not to take a drink?" she asked with a snort.

"Just wanted to have another drink," Alphard responded cheekily, giving her a wink. "Why don't you go next if you seem to be a master of the game?"

Hermione smirked at him. "Hmm, never have I ever been a Slytherin," she countered, watching as all three boys took a drink.

"In that case," Harry grinned at her. "Never have I ever been a Ravenclaw."

"Touche," she said, raising her glass, before taking a big sip. The firewhiskey was top quality, but it still burned when it went down her throat.

They went around the circle again and again, getting progressively more tipsy. She couldn't entirely remember what question it was that Alphard had asked Harry, but it had him jumping her turn in the circle. "Oh yeah, Alphard? You want to play that game?" he asked. "Never have I ever kissed someone in this room." He stared at the pair on the couch intently.

Hermione coughed, but eventually she and Alphard both took a sip from their cups. It didn't sink in to Draco immediately, but once it did he was furious. "What the hell?" he asked, jumping up from his spot on the couch. "You kissed Hermione? She's off limits!"

"Excuse me?" Hermione countered, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm _off limits_? What the hell does that mean?" She was fuming, wondering what the hell Draco meant by that, as if Alphard wasn't _allowed_ to kiss her if he wanted to.

Draco knew that he'd made a mistake in his wording immediately, but at the same time, he was still too angry to think properly. "I mean that you are off limits...Alphard has no right to kiss you," he countered. "You are our friend...he shouldn't go around kissing you! When we are friends!"

" _You_ might only think of me as a friend, but that doesn't mean that other people won't!" she shouted back, shoving her hands against his chest. Blinking back tears, she realized that she was just so hurt that he was determined to see her as a friend and nothing more. "I am not some sexless robot, Draco! Alphard and I kissed, yes, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. He isn't _obligated_ to see me as _just_ a friend, like you do."

"Don't you know he doesn't care about you?" he asked. "Alphard is always bringing different witches around!"

"Oh please," Hermione said, throwing her hands up in the air. "At least none of Alphard's girlfriends have ever called me a mudblood." Feeling a little drunk and far too hurt, Hermione needed to leave the flat as quickly as possible. Wiping at the tears on her face, she _accioed_ her handbag, before heading towards the floo.

"Hermione, wait!" Alphard called after her retreating form. "He isn't trying to be mean, he's just being jealous. And he's a little drunk, he just can't get the right words out."

Draco was sputtering behind them, though he couldn't quite get any words out. It was good, Hermione thought. She didn't want him to say anything that he couldn't take back in a moment of anger. Her heart ached at the thought that he might just be jealous that she'd kissed Alphard, but she thought it was more likely that he just couldn't imagine someone like Alphard - who pulled gorgeous witches all the time - would be interested in someone like _her_.

"With all due respect, Alphard, Draco has made it abundantly clear that he thinks I'm too repulsive for anyone to be interested in," she said, sneering at her blond best friend. She needed to put some distance between them, to let the hurt fade, before she tried to talk to him again. Grabbing some floo powder, in an instant, she was gone.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I know that you guys were not too happy with Draco after the last chapter, but he is going to figure everything out shortly. The angst is nearly over. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter nineteen and be on the lookout for chapter twenty soon!

* * *

 _1998_

Draco wished that he could stop visiting his father in Azkaban now that he was of age, but he'd made a promise to his grandfather Abraxas to continue to visit the man before he'd died. Now, he cursed the old man for manipulating him into doing something that he longed to stop, but didn't have the strength to.

So, once a year, he would make his way to the dreary, cold island in the middle of the North Sea, like some sort of morbid pilgrimage to visit a man who was his father in name only. He always went to visit Lucius on his birthday, not to bring his father any joy, but rather to remind the typically vain man that he was another year older. Azkaban had no way to make the gaunt, haunted looking man into the strutting peacock that Draco saw in family photos.

Lucius was already waiting for him when he arrived, sitting across the table with a grim smile on his face. "Draco, how much you've grown," he said with a smile, showing off rotting teeth. "You grow to look more and more like me with each passing year."

"Really?" Draco drawled, looking down at his unblemished left forearm, loving to rub in the fact that he didn't share the hideous dark mark with his father. "People mostly say how much I take after my mother and my grandfather Cygnus." While he loved Abraxas, Draco sometimes wished that he could erase the Malfoy side of him entirely.

His father sneered at him, but didn't rise to the bait. "Speaking of your mother," he said, knowing that it would get Draco's hackles up. "She told me that you are no longer courting the Parkinson girl."

Draco wished he knew why his mother continued to visit his father when she had been even more hurt by him than Draco had been. She had been in love with him at one point, only to have her heart broken so that Lucius could follow the Dark Lord. He didn't know why she wouldn't just divorce him and be done with it.

"Pansy and I were never _courting_ ," Draco answered, crossing his arms over his chest, protectively. "We were barely even _dating_. And I say, good riddance to her." Pansy had become a toxic presence in his life, driving a wedge between himself and everyone else in his life. Hermione refused to come around if Pansy was going to be there and after her outburst when they'd been playing drinking games, Draco realized he'd pick his friends over Pansy one thousand times over.

"She would make a suitable wife for you," Lucius countered, as though he had _any right_ to be giving him relationship advice from his prison cell.

He rolled his eyes. "I doubt she will make a suitable wife for anyone," he answered. "But in any case, she is dating Warrington now, and as far as I am concerned, he's welcome to her."

"You really ought to think about the future of the Malfoy family, Draco," Lucius said disapprovingly. "If I was out of this place, you'd already be married to a suitable witch. And you absolutely wouldn't be hanging around with your little mudblood friend," he sneered.

"Don't you dare talk about Hermione that way!" he shouted, standing up from his seat. Draco had already been feeling insecure enough about Hermione after he'd yelled at her for kissing Alphard. He'd apologized to her for losing his cool, and they had made up, but his stomach still seemed to twist in some kind of odd jealousy when he thought of Hermione kissing the newest beater for the Wimbourne Wasps.

Lucius was laughing at him. "It's not as if you can marry the little slut," he said with glee, enjoying the way that he was upsetting Draco.

"I would be lucky to have her!" Draco countered, knowing in his heart that it was true. "She's a better witch than I deserve." He couldn't stay in that little room for another moment and quickly grabbed his cloak, eager to put his father behind him for another year.

"Don't be a fool, Draco. You are a Malfoy! No one is better than us," his father called desperately at his retreating back, not making a dent. Draco didn't share his father's ego.

But his father's words had certainly painted a picture in his mind. One where Hermione was not only his best friend, but his lover as well. One where she stood by his side as his wife, as the mother of his children. He felt as if he'd been knocked in the stomach with a bludger by the sudden realization of it all. Everything was slipping into place, including his jealousy over Alphard kissing her. It was quite simple really.

Draco loved Hermione. But more than that, he was _in love_ with Hermione.

It seemed so obvious now that he could put the right words to it. He had not been blind to the fact that he had grown attracted to her over the years, and of course he'd always loved enjoyed being with her. He longed for the days when he had her all to himself, wandering around Malfoy Manor playing wizards and dragons, taking her flying on the back of his broomstick. He imagined taking her for a ride now, and how wonderful it would feel to have her hands tight around his middle, his heart doing flip flops.

Merlin's beard, how on Earth had he been blind to this for so long when it had been simmering under the surface for years? And what kind of cruel trick it was to have Lucius make him realize the truth of his feelings.

Part of him wanted to rush out to find her and tell her, but he knew that he had done a lot of damage, making Hermione think that he could only ever see her as a friend. If he tried to tell her the truth now, it would only make her think he was lying. No, getting Hermione to see the truth of his feelings would take a little Slytherin cunning and a lot of patience.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! So I have some (I think?) exciting news! I was looking at the plotting for this story and added a few more chapters. Initially, I planned on keeping it to 25 chapters, but I thought we had a bit more to explore, so now it will conclude at chapter 30. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty and be on the look out for chapter twenty-one soon!

* * *

 _1998_

Draco knew it was underhanded to use his meeting with his father to get Hermione to meet with him. She always grew concerned about him when he had to meet with Lucius, and Draco knew that even though they were fighting, she wouldn't turn him away when he was so pitiful and sad about the horrible things Lucius would say. It was tricky and sneaky, yes, but he just needed to get a foot in the door.

Apparating outside of her flat with firewhiskey in hand, Draco knocked once and waited for Hermione to answer. When she did, he gave her her best puppy eyes - the same that had gotten his mum to purchase him a racing broom when he was only nine years old. "Listen, I know you really don't want to talk to me right now, but..." he trailed off, looking suitable chastised. "I just came from meeting Lucius, and I-"

Hermione sighed, but stepped aside, allowing him to come into her flat. "Come on in," she said, looking concerned for him. Even though they were fighting, they were still best friends. "Make yourself at home. I'll get glasses."

Draco settled into the couch and waited for her to return. Hermione's flat was cozy and nice - much cleaner than his own flat - and he instantly felt more comfortable. When she came back, he poured them each a small portion of the firewhiskey.

She sat next to him, angled so that she could see him fully. With her legs folded against her, she looked guarded, but still worried about him. "What did Lucius say this time?" she asked, after taking a dainty sip from her glass.

Pressing a hand to his face, Draco did his best to look bashful. "To berate me for dumping Pansy. He is _incredibly_ worried about the future of the Malfoy family and wants me to settle down with a suitable bride," he said, before peeking through his fingers to gauge her reaction.

Hermione's lips were pressed tightly together, but she still snorted at what he said. "I can't say that I share Lucius's regret that you finally dumped her," Hermione said, sounding melancholy.

"I just wish I would have done it sooner," Draco admitted. It was the truth. Being with Pansy had been very easy, in that she was incredibly convenient, but he never particularly liked her. She was just...there.

"Why were you even dating her to begin with?" Hermione asked bitterly. "It seemed like she just sort of popped up overnight."

Draco blushed at the question, but had to answer honestly if he was going to get Hermione to ever forgive him. "It was mostly physical if I'm honest," he said, letting a beat of silence pass between them. Then he looked at her, seeing the hurt clear in her face, before pressing a hand to her knee. "You know that if I had known about her calling you _that word_ , I would have gotten rid of her a long time ago. I knew that you didn't get along, but I always just thought that she was jealous of you."

Hermione looked skeptical. "Jealous of me? What would she have to be jealous of me about?" she asked, her shoulders slumping a bit. It was nearly imperceptible, but having known Hermione for so long, Draco could see that she was feeling a bit sorry for herself.

"Because you're my _best_ friend," he answered automatically, not even needing the think about it. "You are incredibly important to me, Hermione, and if I had to choose between a girlfriend and you, I would pick you _everytime_. I am just sorry that I didn't realize how bad she really was, even when you and Al and Harry were telling me."

She breathed in deeply, obviously moved by his honesty. "Well, love blinds you I suppose," she teased, finally, breaking the tension between the two of them.

"And I am sorry for freaking out about you and Alphard, you know, kissing," he said, dropping his eyes to the glass in his hand. "I didn't mean that you were off limits or to treat you like some sort of object. It caught me off guard and, if I'm honest, I was a little bit jealous. Of course, you can kiss whoever you like, even Alphard."

"Well, you don't have to worry about Alphard," Hermione laughed, growing more relaxed and comfortable around him.

"Hey, I'm not blind. I know he's a good looking bloke who loads of witches would love to date," Draco offered a conciliatory tone, even though he knew that it would kill him if Hermione and Alphard really _did_ decide to get together.

Hermione smiled, before scrunching her nose. "No, it was too much like kissing...I don't know, my brother," she explained. "I know how weird that sounds, considering I don't have a brother, but...I don't think you have to worry about me and Alphard running off together. Now, Harry on the other hand..." she trailed off, grinning at him.

"Witch," Draco countered, knowing that she was just trying to get him riled up. "So, am I forgiven?" he asked, needing to know that he and Hermione were on good terms after their big blow up.

"Hmm," Hermione considered the question for a moment, tapping her finger against her lips. "Yes, you are forgiven, but with you are on friendship probation. You'll have to prove yourself further."

"That seems fair," Draco said, knowing that things wouldn't be totally smoothed over after just today, but feeling optimistic about his chances. Lifting his own glass, he clinked it against hers.

"Just don't go dating any other bitchy witches," Hermione made him promise. "I think that Harry and Alphard were just about at the end of their rope, too. I don't know if any of us could handle it if you dated another Pansy."

Draco hid his smile in his glass. "I'm not planning on it," he said. He wasn't planning on dating _any_ other witches, not when he could have Hermione, the only witch he loved.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I so hope that you are having a good holiday season, and wish you a very happy new year! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-one and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-two soon!

* * *

 _1999_

Draco could hear the crowd roaring raucously as the home team was being announced. Pressing his hand against the small of Hermione's back, he helped guide her up the steps to get to the exclusive box where they would be watching Alphard make his professional Quidditch debut. Normally a very relaxed person, Alphard had been nervous all week, making him a very unhelpful roommate. But, Draco was sure that once he performed well - which, of course he would - he would go back to his typical, happy-go-lucky self.

"How much longer?" Hermione asked, clutching the hand rail with white knuckles.

"We're nearly there," he promised, knowing that she was not the biggest fan of heights. The steep pitch of the stairs wasn't helping anything either. "But don't worry, I won't let you fall," he said sincerely. Teasing would only get him a smack.

Harry was waiting for them when they entered the box finally. He gave Draco a look that suggested he had _questions_ about the way that Draco kept his arm slung around Hermione's waist, casually possessive. He didn't fancy telling him and Alphard that he was going after Hermione, for real this time, because he was certain they would think she deserved someone better. But, if Hermione wasn't going to complain about their closeness, he wasn't going to lift a finger before he absolutely _had_ to.

"You're just in time," Harry said cheerfully. "They haven't announced Alphard yet."

Moving so that they could get a good look out of the box, Draco peered through the assembled team until he found their friend. "Look," he said, pressing his mouth closer to Hermione's ear so that she could hear him properly. "There he is - number six!"

It was amazing to watch him fly around the stadium, soaking up all the cheers and swoons. There was no surprise for the trio of friends that he was the best looking on the team, and it seemed that the witches watching had cottoned on to that fact as well.

"Are Alphard's parents coming? Stellan and Aggy?" Hermione asked, shaking her head at the theatrics Alphard was pulling on his broom, hiding a smirk. "I would think that your family would be here as well."

Draco furrowed his brow. He wasn't entirely sure, but they had insisted on sitting separately. His uncle Sirius always looked at Hermione strangely, but Draco could never figure out why. He was probably the least prejudiced one in their family, so it couldn't be that she was a muggleborn. Maybe he was worried about the impression that Harry and he would leave on the twins. Agatha was already _quite_ mouthy, and made an excellent Slytherin. "No, they are sitting somewhere else," he explained. "I think Agatha and Stellan had to get special permission from Hogwarts to leave the school for the weekend."

Before they could discuss it much more, the game was beginning and the trio of friends was excitedly cheering on Alphard as he made his debut. He was playing spectacularly, and Draco was thoroughly enjoying the way that Hermione leaned back against him when she asked a question about particular maneuvers and the like. He was only too happy to describe to her what each individual position was doing.

"Do you ever think about trying out for a team?" Hermione asked him, while Harry was enthralled in the battle between the two seekers. "I'm no expert, but I think you are better than some of the chasers on the pitch."

Draco could feel himself blush from her honest assessment. Hermione had no reason to lie and try to flatter him, and it felt better than any number of compliments that he'd heard before. "It's crossed my mind," he revealed. But, he was very worried that being a Malfoy would hold him back. It was a fear that kept him from even trying, knowing that he wouldn't be able to handle the humiliation. "But, I don't think I'd be up to snuff."

"Really?" Hermione asked, wrinkling her nose at him and looking utterly adorable. "What about in the coaching staff then? You were always brilliant at coming up with plays. Derek was always complaining about the stuff that you came up with."

The mention of her ex-boyfriend was enough to send cold water rolling down Draco's spine, completely snuffing out the compliment that she paid him. Swallowing, he tried to come up with a suitable answer. "Maybe someday," he said with a shrug. "I'm kind of happy just where I am right now."

Hermione seemed satisfied, glad that he was doing anything at all, considering he had been utterly adrift after graduating Hogwarts. "I would just hate to see you give up something that you love so much," she said, pressing a hand to his chest. "Does the wizarding world have Sunday league?"

Draco knew he would relish the way that her pink tongue darted out to lick her lower lip, his mind conjuring all sorts of scenarios involving her mouth and plump lips later in the safety of his own bed. "Uh, I don't think so? What is it?"

"Oh you know, it's a league for a casual player. Someone who loves the sport, but doesn't have the time, desire or skill to devote to professional play," she tried to explain. "My dad _loves_ football, and was even in a youth academy for a while, but he wasn't quite good enough to make the jump to league play. But, he still does Sunday league every year, now."

It all sounded like gobbledygook to him, and Draco wondered if this is what it was like for muggleborns to hear about Quidditch constantly. "No, we don't have those," he said, finally. "But I would love to go see one of your father's games. I've never been to a football match before."

"Of course you haven't," Hermione said with a grin. "But we could take you to a better game than _my dad's_ ," she teased, before her attention was pulled back to the Quidditch match. "I'll take you to an actual premier league game sometime."

While he knew that she didn't mean it that way, Draco was far too focused on the prospect of going on a date with Hermione. Maybe he'd even take her to dinner afterwards. He was so distracted by his plans that he didn't even see Alphard score by knocking a quaffle through the rings with his beater's bat.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I really hope that you all will have a wonderful 2019 - can't believe we're in another new year. This chapter is one I am sure that a lot of you have been looking forward to. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-two and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-three soon!

* * *

 _1999_

"Hermione!" Draco called in surprise when he saw his best friend sweep into the ballroom of Malfoy Manor. "I didn't think that you were going to be able to make it."

"What, and miss your birthday party? I wouldn't dream of it," she teased. Hermione wrapped him tightly in a hug before pressing a brief kiss to his cheek.

Draco felt a fizzle of joy run up his spine from the quick sensation of her lips on his skin, only to go a bit red. He hoped that she didn't notice his reaction to her. It was the best birthday present he could have ever asked for and she didn't even realize that he'd given it to her. "Well, I am glad that you could pull yourself away from your studying to celebrate with me," he said, genuinely. He pulled a glass of champagne off of one of the floating trays and pressed it into her hand.

"Thank you," she said, taking an eager sip. "I suppose everyone deserves a break from studying every once in a while. "There are so many people here," she observed, looking around.

Draco nodded. "Well, my immediate family may be small now that my grandfather Abraxas died, but mum and I have always had a large extended family," he explained. With excitement, he realized that he _finally_ had his Aunt Hermione and Hermione in the same room and they could finally meet one another. "Oh! There is someone I want you to meet!"

He pressed his hand to her lower back, enjoying the silhouette her silk wrap dress created. She was beautiful and he longed for the day that he could proudly have her on his arm as more than a friend. Inserting himself in the small group he found, he cleared his throat to make introductions.

"Severus, Uncle Regulus, Aunt Hermione," he said with a big grin on his face. "I wanted you to meet _my_ Hermione. Hermione, these are my Aunt and Uncle...well, cousins, really...second cousins or something like that, Regulus and Hermione Black and their friend Severus Snape."

His Uncle Regulus choked on the firewhiskey that he had been drinking, coughing furiously when he saw Hermione with him. Severus was staring at Hermione with narrowed eyes, and Draco could see the wheels of his mind turning furiously. His Aunt Hermione looked pale, but she quickly recovered, moving to smooth over the awkward situation. "It's a...pleasure to meet you, Hermione," she said, offering her hand to shake.

His Hermione took it, cautiously. When Draco turned to look at his friend, she looked...confused and curious. "Yes, I must confess that I've been looking forward to meeting you. It's not every day I meet another Hermione," she said with a frown.

Not understanding why things were off to such a weird start, Draco gave the trio of adults a bit of background on Hermione, including that she was working towards a mastery right then. "She was a brilliant student at Hogwarts, and she was Head Girl, too. Weren't you Head Boy, Uncle Regulus?" he asked.

"Uh, yes I was," Regulus said, unusually reticent. Normally he loved to rub it in to Sirius how much of a better student he had been than his older brother.

"And what house was... _your_ Hermione in?" Severus asked with a smirk. He had certainly noticed the possessive title Draco had given her.

"Ravenclaw," Hermione answered for him. "I was in Ravenclaw with your son, Arcturus. He's a brilliant student himself. I wouldn't be surprised if he follows in his father's footsteps and becomes Head Boy this fall, too."

"Or his mother's," Severus quipped.

"Were you Head Girl, Aunt Hermione?" Draco asked, feeling confused. He got the impression that everyone was in on some big joke that he just wasn't privy to.

"No, Draco, I wasn't," she said, before subtling stepping on Severus's foot. The man didn't seem to bothered by her admonishment. Was it possible that his Aunt hadn't been a good student? She was so brilliant, though.

"And did you go to Hogwarts?" his Hermione asked, her head cocked to one side, eyebrows knit together.

His Aunt Hermione gave her a tight smile, before sadly shaking her head. "No, I was privately educated in Switzerland by my grandfather," she explained coolly.

Regulus wrapped an arm around his Aunt, pulling her close to his side. "Well, we really better be on our way," he said swiftly, giving Draco a tap on the arm. "Happy Birthday, Draco!"

The trio excused themselves, finishing their drinks and extracting themselves from the conversation, before hurrying off to the floo, whispering furiously between the three of them.

Hermione cleared her throat, turning to look at him. "Well, that was certainly... _interesting_ ," she said, but obviously with questions lingering in her mind.

Draco hoped that she didn't feel offended by their standoffish behavior. "Yeah, they were certainly acting a little strangely," he said, wondering just what was going on. He had so hoped that Hermione and his Aunt would hit things off because they were so similar in so many ways, not just the name.

"Um, Draco," Hermione started, tentatively. "What did you say your Aunt's maiden name was?" she asked.

He frowned. "Oh, I didn't actually," he said. "I think it's Dagworth...she's related to some like magical creature philanthropist or something. She doesn't actually talk a lot about her childhood. I sometimes get the impression that it wasn't very happy. We could ask my mum, though, if you wanted."

"No, I wouldn't want to ruin your birthday party by digging into any unpleasant family secrets," she said, chewing on her lower lip. "Come on, let's go find Harry and Alphard. I want to give you a birthday toast."

Hermione looped her arm through his and Draco couldn't stop staring at how perfect her little hand looked in the crook of his elbow. Determined not to blush, he was more positive than ever that Hermione was the only witch for him, and he was even more intent on proving that to her.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am really pleased that you liked the meeting of the two Hermiones - but, don't worry! This will not be the last time that the two witches meet each other. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-three and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-four soon!

* * *

 _1999_

Hermione Granger shuffled through the assorted news clippings that she had been able to get on Hermione Black, which was unfortunately not much. Even though she was meant to be studying for her latest round of Arithmancy exams, she knew that she wouldn't be able to until she got to the bottom of the strangeness with Draco's Aunt.

She had been looking forward to meeting the woman basically since she came into the wizarding world when she was six, but Hermione had been completely unprepared for what she found. You would have to be blind not to see the similarities between them in their looks, even though the other Hermione was older than her. Was it possible that Hermione Black had had a child - _her_ \- prior to meeting and marrying Regulus Black? Hermione thought about confronting her own parents to see if she was adopted, but wouldn't do it until she had more information.

The information that she found was nearly as sparse as what Draco had told her. It was unsettling to learn that she was actually _Hermione Dagworth-Granger_ prior to marrying into the Black family, a coincidence that seemed too eerie to ignore. It was one thing to meet another Hermione, but another _Hermione Granger_ was just...too much. Her private education in Switzerland meant that there was almost no record of her prior to her coming to England in 1977. Hermione had found a small blurb about the death of the woman's parents in a ski accident, so she supposed that was the unhappy childhood Draco had mentioned.

Upon arriving in England, the only things she could find out about Hermione came from the brief social notices that were posted in the Daily Prophet. It seemed that she had become a ward of Cassiopeia Black, Regulus's spinster Great-Aunt. They attended various dinners together that all seemed terribly stuffy and odd to be posting in the Daily Prophet, but she assumed it was a left over tradition from another generation. The only real irregularity was that she seemed to have been romantically linked to Rabastan Lestrange, who was rumored to be in Voldemort's Inner Circle during the war.

It seemed that Hermione and Regulus had gotten married after the war, and had Arcturus not long after. Once Cassiopeia Black died, the little social postings dried up and all that was left was a few random announcements to do with their children, or brief mentions in regards to her father-in-law, Orion Black, who had been a well respected member of the Wizengamot.

There _was_ an announcement of her being welcomed into staff as a curse-breaker at Gringotts, but other than that she seemed like a perfectly normal witch. It was maddening really, the way that there was so much _useless_ information about her, nothing of real value at-

"Hey Hermione," Draco's cheerful voice broke her out of her thoughts. Her blond haired friend slipped into the seat across from her. "What are you studying tonight?"

Hermione blushed, quickly hiding the articles about Hermione Black, nee Dagworth-Granger, from Draco's eyes. She wasn't sure _how_ she would explain the research she was doing into his Aunt, especially when he didn't seem to find all their similarities that odd. Clearing her throat, she looked at the top of her notes to remind her what it was exactly she was meant to be revising. "Oh, looking at the statistical probabilities of removing multi-layered curses," she explained.

Draco picked up her numerical chart and looked at it, his eyes widening at how complicated it all seemed. "So, for curse breaking, then?" he asked, looking suitably impressed.

"Yes," Hermione agreed. "Looking at time as the variable - time makes some curses more stable and others more volatile, so there is a lot to consider," she babbled on, trying not to get too distracted by how attractive Draco looked in that moment.

Her best friend was an utter enigma for her. Draco had insisted time and time again that they were just friends, but then he had been so jealous to learn that she had kissed Alphard the one time. Was he just concerned that a romantic entanglement with another wizard would supplant his position in her life? Or did he want to be in that other wizard's position? It was too difficult for her to suss out and by this point she was far too nervous to ask him. She didn't want to look like a silly little fool.

The crush that she'd harbored for the Slytherin that had been simmering for years and years was certainly not helped by how attentive he'd suddenly become. Or the way that he'd matured into his looks, either, losing some of the pointiness of his youth. She knew that he was frightened that he looked too much like his father, but Hermione could see more of the Black family in him as he became a man, especially after meeting Sirius and Regulus.

"Well, can I help you study?" he asked, picking up the stack of flashcards that she had made for herself. "Or, if you are done for the evening, maybe we could go get a bite to eat. You were always pants at keeping up your nutrition during exam time," he said, smirking at her.

Hermione could feel a delightful swoop in her belly at the realization that Draco cared about her needs and her health. That he _cared_ about her, full stop. "You want to help me study?" she asked, nearly stuttering on her words.

Draco smiled at her, making her breath catch in her throat. "Of course I do, silly," he teased. "I know how important your education is to you, and I want to help you achieve your very best."

This was what had made Draco such a wonderful friend. Alphard and Harry weren't here, looking to help. Instead they were out at bar drinking until they could barely stumble home. But Draco was here, having tracked her down to a _library_ , not a club, on his Friday night. In the end, her stomach grumbled loudly protesting it's lack of food. "Let's go to the pub around the corner," Hermione said shyly. "I'll buy you some chips and you can quiz me while we eat."

Merlin, she had no idea what she'd do without Draco.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! And thank you for being patient with the wait...my old computer bricked and I was waiting until today for my new laptop to arrive :) I hope that you enjoy this chapter...I know a lot of you have been missing Regulus. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-four and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-five soon!

* * *

 _2000_

Staring at the tea in his cup, Draco wondered if his Uncle was going to feel compelled to speak first, or if he was just going to wait for Draco to divulge what had prompted the sudden request for a meeting. He hoped that Regulus would say _something_ because he wasn't entirely sure how he could bring up what he wanted to. Salazar, he couldn't remember the last time he'd spent any time one on one with his Uncle.

"I take it you didn't ask to come over just because you enjoy my tea making skills," Regulus teased, a confused look in his knowing grey eyes. "Why don't you ask me whatever it was that you wanted to?"

"How did you get Aunt Hermione?" Draco asked, the words coming out of his mouth in a jumble, sounding far less eloquent than he'd planned. Immediately, he flushed in embarrassment. "What I mean to say is...how did you get Aunt Hermione to fall in love with you?"

Regulus laughed at the rather unexpected question. "Well, if I am honest, you've got it the wrong way around," he explained, setting his tea cup down. "It was your Aunt Hermione that had _me_ falling head over heels for her."

Draco was surprised to hear that. Regulus was a very good looking bloke, even now when he was nearly forty, with his wavy dark hair and mercurial eyes. He would have guessed that his uncle had all sorts of witches throwing themselves at him while he'd been in Hogwarts. "Really?" he asked, amazed that he'd never heard this story before.

"It's true," Regulus continued on, getting a far off look in his eyes. "And, for the longest time I was convinced that she was after Sirius the whole time and I would make an utter fool of myself if I told her how I felt about her, even _after_ she kissed me the first time."

The younger Slytherin felt sure that his eyebrows were going to retreat all the way into his hairline at how surprised he was. This wasn't how he'd thought Hermione and Regulus's relationship had gone at all. "But, you were courting her, weren't you?" Draco asked weakly. "Mum always said that you two courted in the old way."

Regulus gave him a wry little look. "Well, I'm embarrassed to tell you this, but the only reason we _were_ courting was because my mother demanded it after learning that Hermione was also courting Rabastan Lestrange," he said with a wince. "She couldn't bare the thought of the Lestranges getting their hands on a pureblood witch completely new to our society," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Hermione dated a Lestrange?" Draco said, sounding a bit hysterical. "And you only started dating her because your mum told you to?"

"The war was an odd time," Regulus said, returning his eyes to nephew. "But I am glad that she did. It gave Hermione and I time to get to know one another."

"I am starting to think that you weren't the best person to go to for relationship advice," Draco said, running a hand down his face. " _My_ Hermione has a lot in common with Aunt Hermione," he continued on, not noticing the look on his Uncle's face. "And I was hoping you'd have some sort of secret on how to win her heart."

"Well, I'm not completely hopeless. I still got her to agree to marry me, _despite_ my mother," Regulus countered. "Why don't you tell me what you've been doing so far?" he asked gently.

Draco quickly launched into a description of all the ways that he'd been trying to demonstrate his value to Hermione as a romantic partner, including all the lingering touches. He liked to think that he was well versed in flirting, especially growing up with Alphard as a roommate, but Hermione remained stubbornly immune to everything that he tried. "I'm beginning to worry that she might not feel the same way about me," he said quietly, hoping that by voicing his words aloud, he wasn't speaking the words into existence.

"Well, Draco," Regulus said, after listening to everything he'd been doing. "If _your_ Hermione is anything like my Hermione, she is going to be completely oblivious to Slytherin subtlety. Being a little more direct is certain to go a long way."

The blond was not really sure what his Uncle was suggesting. "But I've _asked_ her on dates already, she never seems to understand that it's an actual date and not just...friends hanging out."

"I'm saying that you should just be honest with her, Draco. Tell her how you feel," Regulus said.

He felt all the color drain out of his face at the idea of being quite so open with Hermione. It seemed a daunting task and one he couldn't believe he was actually considering. "That seems rather... _drastic_ , doesn't it?" he stammered out.

"Let's put it this way...if you tell her and she doesn't feel the same way about you as you do about her, well, at least you will know," Regulus said gently. "And then you can move on and remain friends. But, if she does like you the same way...well, isn't _that_ worth the risk?"

Draco set down his now empty tea cup. He wasn't sure how he felt about Regulus's advice just yet, but he was certainly going to think on it at the very least. "I suppose there are big payoffs for big risks," he said weakly. "Thank you for your time, Uncle Regulus."

"Of course, Draco, anytime," his Uncle said magnanimously. They stopped together at the floo, giving each other a manly handshake in farewell. "You know, sometimes the only way to sweep a Gryffindor off their feet is by grand romantic gestures," he tacked on as an afterthought.

Draco walked through the floo, feeling more adrift than he had been before he spoke with his Uncle. It wasn't until Draco returned to his flat that he realized that Regulus had gotten Hermione's house wrong. Curious.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I cannot believe how far we have come in this story, but wow, there are only five chapters left after this one! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-five and be on the lookout from chapter twenty-six soon!

* * *

 _2000_

Draco couldn't stop staring at Hermione across the table from him, listening to her excitedly recount how she had done on her final exams, which she had passed with flying colors (obviously). She was now the proud owner of an Arithmancy mastery, and he was insanely proud of her.

He was even more excited that _he_ had been the first person she had told, not even bothering to share the news with her muggle parents or the wizard who had been overseeing her studies. No, it was him, Draco Malfoy, who she had rushed to with pink cheeks and a breathless smile to share the happy news.

And he'd whisked her away to a quiet but posh wine bar the celebrate. He'd ordered a sparkling wine for them - not the most expensive one on the menu, because he knew Hermione would protest if she knew how many galleons he was throwing at her - but one still fancy enough to mark the occasion.

Raising his glass towards her, he proposed a little toast. "To Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her age," he said with a smirk. "And to the _youngest_ and by far most beautiful arithmancy master that the wizarding world has ever seen!"

She blushed prettily at his compliments, but didn't make an effort to downplay them, taking a moment to savor her success. And, she really deserved it, he thought, knowing how much hard work she put into it. "Oh, I don't know if I am the _prettiest_ arithmancy master," she said finally. "But there aren't that many to begin with, so it's not as if I have much competition."

"You _know_ you are a gorgeous witch," Draco said with a frown, thinking it was madness that Hermione might not know how she looked to him. He had more dreams than he could count about tangling his fingers in that wild, brown sugar hair and pulling her down for a kiss on those _perfect_ lips.

"I suppose maybe wizards are starting to take notice of me now," Hermione said with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "I've...I've actually been meaning to talk to you about that."

Draco could feel his heart hammering away in his chest, wondering if Hermione had finally understood all of his hints and gestures and realized that he wanted to be with her, forever, really. "Telling me about what?" he asked, surprised that he was able to talk to her at all.

Hermione looked down, smiling into her glass of prosecco, toying with the ends of her curls. "Well, I am sure you already know, but, Theo broke up with Daphne in the winter, and well...he and I have been seeing each other a lot at the library lately," she explained quickly. "And the other day, he asked me out to dinner, but I told him I would need to think about it. I just don't know..."

"What?" Draco asked, feeling as if her words had poured into one ear and out of the other. Vaguely, he registered that Theo had asked Hermione out on a date and that she was actually _considering_ it.

"Well, I am just worried that the break up with Daphne isn't going to be permanent. I mean, they were _so close_ at school," Hermione explained at breakneck speed, nibbling away at her lower lip. "I would hate to get attached to Theo, only to be shoved aside for someone like Daphne."

"You can't go out with Theo," Draco blurted out suddenly, feeling as if his heart might burst. Theo was his friend and Theo was bookish and Theo was nice and...Hermione might really be happy with Theo. But _he_ wasn't Theo, and he couldn't stand the idea of Hermione going out with anyone else other than him, not without telling her how he really felt.

"Why not?" Hermione asked, bristling from his tone.

Draco hoped that she didn't think that he thought she wasn't _good_ enough for Theo in some way. He needed to assuage her fears, needed to explain his sudden outburst, but he just couldn't find the words. His Uncle Regulus's advice about grand romantic gestures popped into his head, and before he realized it, he really _was_ reaching across the table, fingers delving into her hair, and pulling her in for a kiss.

Her lips were slightly chapped, but they fit against his mouth perfectly. She gasped in surprise and he took the opening to deepen the kiss, tentatively pressing his tongue into her mouth, feeling fireworks going off in his brain when she returned the passionate encounter for a brief moment.

But then...

But then, she was pulling away, brown eyes open wide in shock. Her fingers were against her lips, and she was staring at him, looking for some kind of an explanation.

"Please, Hermione," he said solemnly. "You can't go out with Theo, not when...I love you, Hermione. I have for a long time...a lot longer than I realized. You are my best friend, but I would like to give _us_ a chance as a proper relationship." The words were pouring out on the table, leaving his heart there for her to do what she wanted with it.

The longer that she didn't answer - eyes wide and confused - the more Draco's hopes sunk. The crushing reality that Hermione might not feel the same about him as he did about her sunk in, and his heart hurt more than he could have imagined, breaking into tiny little pieces. "I'm sorry, Draco," she finally squeaked out, looking ashamed and _guilty_ for some reason, but he knew the truth.

She stood up from the table abruptly, grabbing her purse from the back of the chair and running out of the restaurant in a hurry that had several other patrons looking at her. He didn't even have the heart to chase after her and ask for some kind of explanation. No, having his hopes crushed once in a night was more than enough.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I know so many of you were heartbroken for poor Draco after last chapter, but I think this chapter will shed some light on things! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-six and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-seven soon!

* * *

 _2000_

When Draco kissed her, Hermione's immediate emotional reaction had been pure joy. His declaration that he loved her, and that he'd loved her for a long time. To know that he actually returned the feelings that she had been harboring for her best friend for so long made her heart soar in her chest. Further, that he was _jealous_ of the idea of her dating Theo, that he felt so strongly about her...

But then it was not much longer after that that her concerns about the connection between her and Draco's Aunt Hermione came rushing back. What if she was Hermione Black's illegitimate child? That would make her Draco's cousin in a way. If she had some connection to the woman, would that change the way Draco felt about her? She wasn't sure she could handle that kind of heartbreak.

She needed answers, and there was only one place that she could find them.

It would have been hard to find out where Hermione and Regulus Black lived if it hadn't been for all the research that Hermione had done in her spare time. Reading through the social announcements had given her the address of Cassiopeia Black. The old witch's will had gone through probate, and Hermione had learned that the _other_ Hermione had been the sole heir of her estate.

After leaving Draco, Hermione popped over to the nearest apparition point before making the short walk to the Black residence. It wasn't hard to find it's entrance from the muggle street and Hermione wondered why someone who worked with Gringotts wouldn't have tried to get a _fidelius_ charm on their house. When she got to the doorstep, she knocked and held her breath, nerves making her belly twist.

The door was opened by none other than Hermione Black herself. Her mouth was pinched, but she didn't seem all the surprised by her visitor. "Hermione," she said simply, mouth opening and closing several times while she tried to decide what to say. "Would you like to come in for some tea?"

Accepting seemed like the most obvious choice and before she knew it, she was sitting in a lavish parlor on a blue velvet settee, with a fine china teacup in her hand. She stared around the room at the moving photographs of the Black family, growing even more unsettled by all the similarities that she saw. "You aren't surprised to see me," she said to the other woman, gripping her teacup tightly.

Hermione Black shook her head. "No, I've known this day was coming for a long time."

"So, it's true then..." the younger witch asked, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Am I...am I your daughter?" she asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

"What?" The incredulous response came suddenly.

"Please don't lie to me. I _just_ want answers," Hermione nearly begged. "I'm not stupid...Draco might not see it, but I can tell that we look very similar...other people notice it too. And, the timing would fit, not to mention that we share a name. So...did you give me up for adoption, because...Draco kissed me and I really do love him, but I can't be with him if..."

The older woman started laughing pressing a hand to her chest tightly. "Merlin, no," she said finally, only she'd caught her breath. Her visage sobered quickly. "I don't really know the best way to tell you this, but...I am a time traveler."

Of _all_ the possibilities Hermione had considered, this certainly wasn't it. A time traveler would mean... "So, you... _are_ me? I am _you?_ " she asked, her voice full of wonder.

"Yes," the other woman confirmed it. "In my time, Voldemort had survived the war and he went on to kill Lily and James Potter, leaving Harry an orphan, but he was gravely injured at the time. He came back when I was at Hogwarts and well...I had a little mishap with a house elf and got sent back to 1978. I decided to...make a better outcome for the world."

"But shouldn't I...what will happen if _I_ don't go back? Won't you disappear? Everything that you've already done?" she asked, feeling her brain itch with all of the possibilities.

"The day I was sent back has already passed, and nothing happened," she said smoothly. "I am sure that it is something that you can study now that you'll become an Unspeakable."

Hermione gasped. "How did you know about that?" she questioned, knowing that it was meant to be highly secretive.

"It's what I've been working on for the past five years, while my children were at school," she answered smoothly. "But now that you are starting there, I will be retiring for good."

Pressing her hands to her face, the younger witch had so many questions running through her head she didn't even know where to start. "This is so confusing. Who all knows about it?"

"Regulus, of course, and Sirius puzzled it out not to long ago. Narcissa has known since you first showed up in her school," Hermione explained. "I've been trying to keep our two selves separated so as not to make anyone else aware of it. It's not exactly legal," she said with a sly little smirk. "I am sure that you will have many more questions, and you are always welcome to ask me. But for now you can go about on your romance with Draco without worry about being his cousin."

"Why is that so funny?" she asked, thinking that the other woman was really enjoying this too much.

"Oh, it's just...my first time around, I was fairly positive I was going to end up with Ronald Weasley," she said with a grin, enjoying how the younger woman recoiled in horror at the idea. "He and Harry and I were inseparable in Gryffindor house. And Draco...well you know how Slytherins and Gryffindors are," she explained with a wry smile. "This time around, Draco is much sweeter."

Finally, Hermione was reminded of the declaration her friend had made, and the terribly rude way she'd ran out on him. "Oh Merlin!" she said suddenly. "Draco told me he loved me and then I just... _ran away,"_ she said, mortified by her behavior. "I need to tell him I love him." Standing up suddenly, she realized how rude she was being to Hermione Black.

"I completely understand," the _Gryffindor_ said with a grin. "Go and tell him how you feel, before he wallows too much in self pity! I will never hear the end of it from Narcissa if you don't."

Hermione Granger didn't need to be told twice.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I know lots of you are just dying to know what happens next so I won't let this drag on too long! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions! Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-seven and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-eight soon!

* * *

 _2000_

It must have taken Hermione moments to apparate to the hallway outside Harry, Alphard and Draco's flat, but it felt like an eternity. Knowing that she couldn't just barge in, Hermione began to aggressively knock on the door, impatiently waiting for one of the three boys to open it for her.

Eventually, it was Alphard who opened it, looking wholly unsurprised to see her. "Look, I don't know _what the hell_ happened between you and Draco, but whatever it is did a real number on him, and-"

She didn't have the time to listen to Alphard give her some speech about what a good friend to Draco he was, and how he didn't want to see the blond get hurt, especially not when she was trying to make it right. Shoving past him, she ignored his protests and marched straight into Draco's room, shutting the door behind her.

Immediately, her eyes locked with the Malfoy heir's form, propped up in his bed with a full bottle of firewhiskey, his eyes looking a bit red rimmed, but utterly surprised to see her. Had he really been crying over her? She could feel her heart lurching at the idea. "Draco, I love you, too," she said crossing the room as if she was approaching a wild animal. "I have since...fifth or sixth year probably," she added with a blush.

Draco looked miserable. "Why'd you run away then?" he asked sullenly.

Hermione sat down on the bed, to where she was close enough to touch him. "I...I needed to hear the truth about myself," she admitted. "There was something I was worried about...something that might have kept us apart, and well, I _needed_ to be sure, before I could let things go any further between us."

"You aren't making any sense," he said glumly, before taking a pull from the firewhiskey bottle.

Hermione pulled the bottle out of his grasp, setting it safely on his nightstand. "This might sound silly but...I thought that your Aunt Hermione might have given me up for adoption, which would have made us sort of cousins," she explained, looking down at her lap. "I know you don't see it, but we have so much in common, it's eerie."

He seemed to be thinking over her words carefully. "I've never really thought about it past the name, but...I can see the similarities there," he admitted.

"Well, I confronted her. And I am not her daughter, so we are free to be together, but I feel that I need to tell you the whole truth, so that you are able to make a decision freely," she said, biting her lower lip, hoping that learning about who she really was wouldn't turn him off of her completely. "Your Aunt Hermione is a time traveler. She _is_ me, come from some alternate future where Voldemort won and you and I were enemies."

At this point, Draco really _was_ speechless, and Hermione desperately just wanted to know what was going through his head. Was she repulsive to him? Did he no longer feel the same about her? Was he going to try to send her off to St. Mungo's to be evaluated?

"Well?" she asked, feeling more self conscious by the minute. "Have your feelings for me...changed?"

"I really can't wrap my mind around what you've told me...I don't know how it can be possible," he said staring into her eyes, completely unguarded. "But I do know that it is impossible for me not to love you, Hermione Granger."

Hermione was sure that she was going to melt into a puddle right then and there if she didn't move, launching herself into his arms, she happily pressed a kiss to his lips, wanting to recreate the happy mood from earlier in the night. "We can figure it out together?" she asked, tentatively, knowing that she was going to do a lot of research into the whole two Hermione debacle.

"Tomorrow," Draco said with a very Slytherin smirk. "Tonight, I don't want to spend one minute out of this bed when I could be celebrating the fact that my very sexy and very talented girlfriend got her Mastery."

"Girlfriend?" she asked through sooty lashes, sighing when he pressed her body back against his pillows, greedy fingers already working their way up under her blouse.

"Well, that's what you are now isn't it?" he asked, hissing in surprise when she pressed her own cold hands under the soft cotton of his shirt, pulling it up over his head.

It was Hermione's turn to smirk at him. "I suppose so, boyfriend," she teased, before reaching towards the bedside table and grabbed her wand. A simple divesto charm had them both down to their undergarments in an instant.

"Oi!" Draco complained, not approving of the sudden cold on his pale skin. "I was going to take my time unwrapping you."

"I swear to Merlin, if you don't just kiss me already, I will leave," she whined, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down for a greedy kiss. Lips parted to deepen the kiss, their tongues moving against one another, tentatively at first, but growing bolder as they both learned what the other enjoyed.

With Draco settled between her welcoming thighs, Hermione would moan and arch against him, loving the way that he fit against her perfectly. When she thought about it, she couldn't help wonder if she and Draco hadn't been meant for each other right from the very beginning. The first time she'd met him, she'd been utterly drawn into him, as if they were pulled together like magnets.

By the time that they had stripped each other of their undergarments, they were both so aroused that it didn't take any hesitation to join together fully. Overwhelmed by the feeling of Draco entering her again and again, Hermione was powerless to do anything but move with him, answering every thrust of his with a parry of her own, egged on by his whispered declarations of love, again and again until they were falling into bliss with one another.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I am so sad that this story is rapidly approaching its end, but I am really excited to share these next three chapters with you. Now we can get to all the good fluff. This chapter contains a bit of a cop out, because I honestly can't come up with a reason why this time travel, two Hermione's scenario would work, but I hope you like what I've done with it. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions!

Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-eight and be on the lookout for chapter twenty-nine soon!

* * *

 _2001_

"Don't you think it's a little bit soon?" Alphard's skeptical voice came from behind a large stack of galleons. "I mean, you don't want to rush into anything, and you are both still so young."

Draco snorted, snapping shut his great-grandma Eugenie's jewelry box in disgust. "We've been dating for a whole year now," he countered, positive that he was making the right decision. "And, I've know Hermione basically my whole entire life now. I don't think you could call that rushing."

"It's just, how do you know she's the _right_ girl for you?" Alphard asked, pressing his hands into his face. "You've only had like one other girlfriend and it was Pansy, and...don't you worry at all about being with only one woman for the rest of your life?"

Draco came around to where his friend was sitting, rifling through one of the Malfoy family's trunks that they had brought over from France several centuries ago. "No, I'm not worried at all, because Hermione is just...she is the perfect woman for me," he said with a half grin. "Honestly, I am a bit worried that I will have to be convincing her to put up with _me_ for the rest of her life."

"I mean, sure, she makes like...the best lasagne you've ever eaten before in your life," Alphard went on, throwing a crown over his shoulder to crash into a set of silver dinnerware. "And she does that thing with her tongue that like...blows your mind _every_ time," he continued, making Draco's blond eyebrow rise in confusion. "But, does that mean she's really the _one_ for you?"

"We aren't talking about Hermione anymore, are we?" he asked, looking at the Black heir with amusement, seeing how forlorn he looks.

"Don't worry about him," Harry said with a snort, suddenly appearing with a small leather jewelry box from somewhere in the back of the Malfoy family vault at Gringotts. "He has been dating this new Italian witch - Eleonora - and he is _really_ hung up on her. Honestly, you are lucky that you moved out when you did, mate," he added with a wince.

"I can't help it!" Alphard groaned. "She is driving me wild. She's all I can think about."

Draco snapped his fingers at his friend. "Hey, focus okay. We are supposed to be finding the perfect engagement ring for me to give to Hermione. You know, she's _your_ friend, too," he said with a smirk.

"Don't worry about that, I've found the perfect one," Harry said, handing the leather case to Draco.

He opened it reverently, fingers tracing over the monogram that had been etched into the grey leather. Inside was an assortment of pearl jewelry, but what immediately caught his eye was the ring with a pearl buffeted on either side by several diamonds, set in white gold. Picking it up, Draco felt his breath catch in his throat, already able to imagine Hermione wearing proudly on her finger. "It's perfect," he whispered, holding it in his hands reverently.

"She'll love it," Alphard agreed once he got a look at it. "Nice work, Harry."

"It was my pleasure," Harry said with a smirk, loving that he would always be able to rub it in to his friend that he had been the one to find the perfect engagement ring for Hermione. "Now Draco just needs to ask her. When are you going to do it?"

"We are having dinner this weekend," he said, everything feeling so much more real now that he actually had the ring. "I'll ask her to walk with me afterwards, and do it then."

"Okay, but in all seriousness," Alphard said with a grin on his face that belied any sense of seriousness at all. "It doesn't weird you out even a _little_ bit that Hermione is technically Aunt Hermione? I mean...if you think about it, that means that Uncle Regulus _knows_ everything about your Hermione. And-"

"I try not to think of it," Draco said, his cheeks turning pink, still hating that Alphard and Harry had finally figured it out, though he supposed so many of their family had at this point. If he was honest, things got a little weird if he started to think about it for too long. "They are two different people, and they have lived different lives." They didn't know the whole story - like the fact that Harry would have been an orphan if it hadn't been for Aunt Hermione, or that Alphard wouldn't even exist at all!

"And, have they figured out how it even happened?" Harry asked, trying to smooth down his ruffled hair.

"Well, they are still doing research, but it's not really clear. Even though Kreacher is Aunt Hermione's house elf now, he won't tell them how elf magic can change time," Draco said with a frown. "Honestly, all the time travel stuff makes my head hurt. I only care that _my_ Hermione isn't just going to wink out of existence anytime soon, so that she can fall in love with my Uncle."

 _That_ had Alphard and Harry laughing. "You have to admit, that would be pretty tragic, Draco," Harry said, wiping at his eyes.

"Yeah, well, they are sure it's not going to happen," he said, confidently. "Aunt Hermione is already there so whatever was necessary to bring her back must have already happened."

"That doesn't make any sense," Alphard complained.

"I know, but...it's not my area of expertise," Draco said, throwing his hands up in the air. "Ask Hermione if you really want to. I am sure she would _love_ to know that you are thinking about her and Uncle Regulus...you know!"

Alphard shook his head, knowing that it would be far too embarrassing to do that. "Alright, alright," he said, standing from his spot now that they were ready to leave Gringotts. "Let's go get a pint and celebrate."

Glad that they had found the ring, and knowing that he had the support of his friends, Draco readily agreed. He couldn't wait to pop the question to the love of his life.


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am so excited to share this penultimate chapter to this story. It's a new perspective for the story, but I hope that you enjoy it still. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Please let me know what you thought of chapter twenty-nine and be on the lookout for chapter thirty soon!

* * *

 _2002_

Narcissa Malfoy was content to watch her only child sway around the dancefloor all night with the love of his life, and brand new wife, Hermione. She was thrilled to know that Draco had been able to follow his heart and marry the muggleborn girl, even if it meant an end to the _pureblood_ Malfoy line. She hadn't believed much in that tosh since the war was over, and even better, she knew that it would drive Lucius absolutely spare. She couldn't wait to go and tell him the news.

A clearing throat got her attention, though, and the mother of the groom turned to find one of her oldest friends, Hermione _Black_ , standing there with two champagne glasses in her hand. Narcissa happily took the one that was offered, before leaning back against the wall and taking a sip.

Hermione settled in beside her to watch the newlyweds twirl around again, the newest Malfoy looking gorgeous in her white dress.

"This reminds me of your wedding day," Narcissa quipped to the other woman. "Except I suppose we don't have to worry about Walburga getting drunk before dinner and smashing the wedding cake."

"Oh, that was terrible," Hermione answered with a snort. "And she wore that awful black veil," she added. Narcissa watched as her friend's face grew serious and she began to bite at her lower lip - a telltale that she was thinking over something that worried her. "Are you sure you don't mind that Draco ended up with...with her?"

 _With me_ , was the unspoken truth. Narcissa gave her friend a reassuring smile. "Of course I don't mind. I've gotten to know Hermione very well over the last fifteen years and I wouldn't pick anyone else for Draco. She lights up his whole world," she said fondly. "And, while the two of you are separate people, but I know your character and your values. I feel...assured that Draco will be happy with her."

She watched out of the corner of her grey eyes as all the tension in Hermione's shoulders faded away. "I'm glad for them," she affirmed. "Even if it's a bit odd to think that they ended up together."

"I take it that the first time around you were not friends with my son?" Narcissa asked, taking another drink of champagne.

"Definitely not," Hermione responded with a laugh. "Let's just say that we did not share ideologies. And I take it Draco did not enjoy being academically bested by a muggleborn. I actually even punched him once!"

Narcissa could feel her eyes widening at _that_. "Hermione!" she said with a gasp. "No, I don't suppose you did share ideologies, especially with Lucius's influences."

"Both you and Draco are happier without his influence," Hermione assured her, reaching out and giving Narcissa's arm a gentle squeeze. "I was wondering...with Lucius out of the picture, don't you ever think about dating someone?"

"Me?" Narcissa asked, pressing a hand to her fluttering heart. "I always just contented myself with my work. My main focus was on raising Draco. But now..."

"But now?" Hermione prodded with baited breath.

"Well, this past year, Draco and I celebrated Yule with Sirius's family, and I didn't know it, but Marlene had invited her older brother, and well...we really hit it off. I stayed up _far_ too late talking with him. He's asked me to dinner, but I..." Narcissa trailed off, trying to choose her next words carefully. "Oh, I don't know, I just feel a little bit old to be dating."

"Nonsense, Narcissa! You certainly aren't old," Hermione scolded. "If he makes you happy, then, I think you should go out with him. It doesn't have to be more serious than you want it to be, but aren't you the least bit curious to see where it could lead?"

Narcissa was a bit curious, even if she didn't agree with Hermione's assessment that she wasn't old...she could feel the slow steady creep of fifty increasing in speed every day. Still, Colin McKinnon made her feel a kind of excitement that she hadn't felt in years. "I suppose you are right," the blonde woman agreed. "And, with Draco and Hermione set to go on a honeymoon, perhaps now is the perfect time to try."

"Now that we've handled your love life, it looks like I need to go sort out my own daughter's," Hermione said with a groan, pressing a flushed hand to her cheeks. "Honestly, I have no idea where she gets it. Neither Regulus nor I are this... _outgoing_."

"Flirty, you mean," Narcissa said, cheekily, watching as Cassiopeia Black, with her beautiful wavy, dark hair, newly seventeen, pressed herself against Harry Potter on the dancefloor like a cat wanting to climb a tree. Potter had the unique look of a man who was completely out of his depth _and_ who had hit the jackpot at the same time. "It must be from her namesake," she teased, knowing Hermione's guardian had been quite the naughty girl during her school days.

Laughing, Hermione left Narcissa to her own devices to try and disentangle her daughter from Harry. Narcissa let her eyes sweep around the room again. Arcturus Black was attempting to keep up a conversation with his father, Regulus, but seemed far too enthralled by the low cut of the dress worn by Alphard's Italian model girlfriend. Alphard's sister, Agatha, for once was not intent on ruining their other brother's evening, and was instead in a deep conversation with Millie Potter. Stellan was trying to keep up with the vivacious Astoria Greengrass.

Finally, her eyes settled back on her son, who was unable to take his eyes off of his enchanting wife. The sight of it truly warmed her heart and she was so glad to know that her son was happy and healthy. She wouldn't have been able to forgive herself if Draco had had a future like the one Hermione had described under Lucius's toxic influence. It would be odd to know that it was no longer just her and Draco, but if she was honest, she was dying for grandchildren.

Thinking that she had slunk on the outskirts of the party long enough, Narcissa smoothed her dress and went to rejoin the wedding party.


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows over the course of this story! I can't believe that we've finally reached the end - it has been so nice (although it feels slightly self-indulgent) to get to develop these characters a bit more after Oblivion, especially in this looser drabble format. I hope that you enjoy what it was. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions!

Please let me know what you thought of the story!

* * *

 _2010_

"Would it really kill us if _one_ of our children looked like me?" Hermione asked, not sounding as upset as her words let on. How could she really be mad when she had her newborn son cradled to her chest, hand cupping the back of his head, which was covered in fine blond hair. At least his hair looked a bit darker blond than Draco's, so maybe there was still hope that Scorpius might end up with her shade of hair.

"You love it," Draco teased back, kissing the top of her head, far too enthralled in their child to be too arrogant about his family's good looks. "And you know that they take after you in their features."

" _Some_ of their features," Hermione countered. While their daughter, Lyra, admittedly had inherited her mother's cute button nose, it seemed as if all three of their children inherited the angular facial structure of the Malfoy family, something Hermione though Draco might be keen to ignore.

Cygnus Alphard at four years old was a little bit of a mini Draco, named after his great-grandfather who had been so instrumental in Draco's young life. He loved animals, brussel sprouts and staying outside as long as his parents would let him. He hated potions (to Draco's absolute disappointment) and the Chudley Canons. He was outgoing and noisy and the perfect little ambassador to the new muggleborn students that Narissa still took on, though he hadn't started formal instruction just yet.

Lyra Narcissa, with her long, wavy blonde hair imagined herself quite the princess at age three. She loved to spend time with her namesake grandmother, having teas and coloring in the parlor. She detested being dirty and _ice cream_ of all things, but loved being doted on. Hermione was amused to learn that their daughter enjoyed riding her training broom, and Draco privately mused that she would be the best Quidditch player out of the two of them. More reserved, Lyra was content to spend time on her own.

Scorpius Harry was the newest addition to their brood, and they had decided, their last. Merlin, Hermione still wondered how she'd let Draco convince her to name their son Scorpius, but she blamed it on late pregnancy hormones. She supposed it _did_ fit. It wasn't as if you could name him something ordinary with all the unusual family names around him.

The littlest Malfoy's personality was yet to be determined, Hermione supposed. However, at only a few weeks old, he was already very noisy and demanding, waking the young parents up multiple times in the middle of the night with a hungry tummy. He was curious, too, Hermione decided, with his little grey eyes searching the room, even if he couldn't make out much more than vague shapes this early in his development.

Draco reached out his finger and tickled the little boy on his stomach, making the baby smile. He grabbed at the finger, holding it tightly with his tiny hand. "Oi, he's got a good little grip," Draco said, sounding immensely proud of his son. "Maybe he'll be a seeker," he added with hopeful wonder.

Hermione rolled her eyes at her husband. "Draco, he's a baby," she deadpanned. "He doesn't even _know_ what Quidditch is yet."

Before she could tease him any more, Alphard was bursting into the room with a giggling Lyra on his shoulders. When he got inside, he kneeled down so that she could hop off gracefully. "Go on, Lyra, tell your parents what Uncle Harry asked you," he prompted her.

"Uncle Harry wants me to be flower girl!" the overly enthusiastic girl said, spinning around in a circle twice, before falling in a heap on the floor. "Can I?"

Somehow, Harry had convinced Cassiopeia Black to marry him. They had been adamant that they were _not dating_ , but somehow, not dating for nearly eight years had taken an interesting turn when Harry surprised himself _and_ Cassiopeia by asking her to marry him in (what Hermione understood) was a moment of passion. It had taken an intense conversation, but the fiercely independent girl eventually agreed, putting a name to their relationship. From what she could tell, Regulus was upset about his little girl growing up, but Hermione Black was adamant that Harry Potter was a good man.

"Uh oh, has Uncle Alphard been feeding you pepper imps again?" Hermione asked, thinking her little girl was far too giggly to not be on a sugar rush.

"Of course you can be a flower girl, princess," Draco said, pulling Lyra into his arms, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

Cygnus burst into the room next, with Harry hot on his heels. "Come on!" Cygnus said with a shout. "Let's go to the game, let's go to the game! I wanna watch Quidditch," he said jumping around.

Hermione stood up, balancing baby Scorpius in her arms. "Oh, honestly, this is the _last_ time that I ask either of you to watch the kids," she said, rolling her eyes. Really, was it too much to ask two thirty year old men to watch them for thirty minutes so she could make sure the baby was ready.

Harry at least had the decency to look a little sheepish, but Alphard didn't care. "Oh, that's an empty threat, Granger," he teased. "Cyg and Lyra love spending time with their uncles, don't they?" he pressed the kids, who of course started agreeing wildly. Why shouldn't they agree with the man who gave them sweets whenever they asked for them?

"Alright, well, we had better get a move on if we are going to make the game," Draco agreed, knowing that it was time to go if they didn't want to be late. After all, it wasn't every day that you got box tickets to watch the Quidditch World Cup. And, if he had his way, Draco hoped that France would trounce Bulgaria. It might have had a _little_ bit to do with the fact that Viktor Krum stilled played for his national team, but he wouldn't admit that he still got very jealous where Hermione was concerned.

She was the love of his life, after all.


End file.
